I Want You to Want Me
by SammiDammiXoX
Summary: It's Maya Matlin's first year at Degrassi Community school, and she couldn't be less excited. But when Maya meets new student and hockey player Campbell Saunders, her whole outlook changes. It's love at first sight, at least for her. But how does Cam feel? Meanwhile, Zig appears to have taken a liking to Maya, and Tori a liking to Zig. Will anyone get their happily ever after? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey guys. So, i've always been a huge fan of Degrassi. I've watched it for as long as i can remember, and i never miss an episode. I'm pretty much addicted. So i thought i'd try my hand at another type of fanfiction, rather than just strictly Titanic stories. The most recent episode last Friday, 'Bitter Sweet Symphony Pt 2' sort of inspired me to start this story. In honour of the character Campbell Saunders. I absolutely loved the character Cam, (He was my second favorite next to Eli) and i adore Dylan Everett, the actor who portrayed Cam. I loved him and Maya together, one of the cutest Degrassi couples hands down. This chapter is pretty much just an introductory. I needed somewhere to start my story, and i decided this was it. A lot of the characters from the show will be incorporated into this story. I'm sure you read the little blurb that states what the story is about, so hold on because this is going to be a dramatic ride. Is there any other way to do Degrassi? I think not. It's all about the drama.(: Reviews are greatly appreciated, and always make updates come faster, so please be sure to leave me one and let me know what you think! Thanks guys! xx**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters. _**

Chapter 1 - Best Friends Fight, It's only Natural.

"Tori, I'm so, so sorry! Please, forgive me!" Maya Matlin cried out as her best friend Tori Santamaria got to her feet, turned away from her and began to walk briskly in the opposite direction.

Maya stood and went after her quickly. She reached out and grabbed her friends forearm, in a last ditch effort to get her to stay. "I honestly didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

Tori turned back towards her. "Let go of my arm Maya." She hissed, jerking her arm out of Maya's grip and glaring angrily at her.

Maya decided it was probably best to just let Tori go. They were in the school cafeteria, and she didn't need a big dramatic scene unfolding in front of the entire student body.

It was her first day at Degrassi Community school, and in truth, she just wanted it to be over already. Being a freshman was tough. Everyone had been making fun of her and her fellow freshman peers all day, and her older sister Katie, who was a senior, was acting like she didn't even know her. To make matters worse, in the 4 hours she had been at school, she had already managed to get her best friend mad at her. This just was not her day.

Tori didn't attempt to walk away again however, she just stood there and continued to glare at Maya.

"But Tori, I can fix it! I promise." Maya exclaimed. "Just please don't be mad at me! I don't think I'll be able to get through the rest of this day without my best friend." She added.

Tori rolled her eyes. "And how are you going to fix this Maya? Do you realise what you've done? It might never be the same again." She replied, anger colouring her tone, and her face contorted with rage.

"I swear, my mom is a whiz with this kind of thing. I'll give it back to you good as new. Looking better than the day you bought it." Maya promised, feeling good about her chances of getting Tori to forgive her. She hadn't stormed away, so that was a good sign.

Tori sighed, a trademark of defeat. "All right. But it better look better than the day I bought it. Do you know how much I paid for that sweater?"

"No…"

"Believe me, you don't want to. Then again, if you did know, you might understand why I'm so angry." Tori replied, the anger fading from her voice, and her facial expression relaxing.

"Don't worry Tor, me and my mom will do everything in our power to get it back to normal." Maya replied with a bright smile, happy that she had gotten her friend to forgive her, and overjoyed that she had avoided a big scene. "Like I said, she's a whiz with stains. Well, you know… you would have to be… with Katie…" Maya trailed off, deciding against finishing that sentence.

"With Katie…? What about Katie?" Tori asked, confused.

"Nothing. Never mind." Maya replied quickly, looking down at her sneakers.

Tori shrugged. "Okay."

Maya was extremely grateful that Tori had dropped the subject and hadn't pried. After all, it had just slipped out. Katie's problems were not hers to tell, and anyway, if she ever did and Katie found out about it, her older sister would most likely kill her in her sleep. Which is something that, without a doubt, no one would want to experience.

Tori pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and checked the time. "Class will be starting soon." She announced, " quick bathroom break?"

"Sure." Maya replied, "just let me grab my backpack." She went back to the table they had been eating lunch at before the fight had broken out and picked up her bag. She slung it over her shoulder, and then made her way back to Tori, who was standing just a few feet away.

They then exited the cafeteria and made their way to the girls bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Big thank you's to; Kayla Crystal , Islanda , and degrassigirl101 for your reviews on Chapter 1! (: I really appreciate them. Even just lil reviews that are two words or less make my day, so guys, remember to leave me one and let me know what you think. If you like, or dislike the story, or my writing. Constructive critism is also always very much appreciated. Islanda, Katie's problem is her bulimia, and it's hinted at it a little bit more in this chapter. As i said before, reviews always make updates more frequent, because when i know people are reading and enjoying, i tend to procrastinate much less :p. Cam doesn't make an appearance quite yet in this chapter. It's another Tori/Maya chapter, and it's shedding some light on how Maya feels about everything, and on Katie's illness. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, and added this story to their favorites and/or story alerts. Now, enough of my blabbering. Enjoy! xx**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of the characters._**

Chapter 2 - Bathroom Breaks

When Maya and Tori entered the girls bathroom with 5 minutes of lunch to spare, Tori was shocked to find Katie hovering over one of the bathroom sinks, looking pale. Maya on the other hand had expected nothing less. It was lunch time after all, and she had noticed her sister eating in the cafeteria earlier, even though it had just been a little nibble. That could only mean one thing.

"Katie? Are you okay?" Tori asked, concerned.

Katie's head snapped up and her eyes darted to where Tori and Maya stood. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just feeling a little queasy." She replied, placing a hand over her stomach.

"Do you need a gravel or something? Advil? Tylenol?" Tori questioned, the concern evident in her voice. "I have the works in my purse." She explained, walking over to Katie and tossing her purse onto the bathroom counter.

Maya suppressed the urge to laugh as Tori rummaged through her purse. She knew she shouldn't, she knew her sister was sick, and had been for a long time, and was fighting this illness that was threatening to take over her body. But the thing was, everyone was always expressing concern for Katie, asking her if she was okay, or what was wrong, and no one knew. No one ever would know about Katie's illness. They couldn't.

Maya had considered telling Tori about her sister many times, but she couldn't. If it ever got around the school, Katie's life would never be the same, and as much as Maya hated all the attention Katie got, and how little attention she got in comparison, she just couldn't do that to her older sister. Katie had done a lot for her, and she was a great sister, really.

"Maybe you should call mom or something." Maya suggested, trying to save Katie from Tori's attempts to give her drugs that she really didn't need, and that she probably didn't want. "You might have a touch of that flu that's started making it's rounds."

Katie shot Maya a grateful look while Tori was still busy rummaging, oblivious to the world around her. "Yeah, I think I'll call mom. Hopefully she can pick me up. Give me your cell? Mines died this morning."

"Sure," Maya replied, reaching into her hoodie pocket and pulling out her phone. She unlocked it and handed it to her sister.

Katie put the phone to her ear and waited. On the fourth ring her mother's voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom. It's me, um… I was wondering if you could come and get me? I've been feeling really queasy all day, and I just don't think I can handle the rest of the day."

There was silence on the other end, and then; "Katie, it's the first day of school and you're already going to be missing classes because of this?"

"I'm sorry mom. I just can't deal right now. If you don't come get me, I guess I'll just have to walk home."

"I don't approve of this Katie. I know you're sick, and I know you're trying, but you need to try harder. This is your senior year, don't waste it away…"

"I'm gonna go now mom. I'm using up all of Maya's minutes. We'll talk when I get home, okay? Love you." With that said, she ended the call and handed Maya's phone back to her. "Thanks. I'll see you when you get home okay? See you later Tori." Katie said, exiting the bathroom.

"See you Katie! Feel better!" Tori called after her. She waited a few moments to make sure Katie had gone and was out of ear shot before turning back to Maya. "She looked really sick Maya, why would your mom make her walk home? She obviously has the flu or something, like you said."

"I don't know Tor." Was all Maya could manage to reply. She didn't want to talk about her sister anymore. If she did, there was a good chance she was going to let something that she wasn't supposed to slip, and she couldn't have that.

She walked closer to one of the many bathroom mirrors aligning the wall to get a better look at herself. She flinched inwardly at her appearance. Was this really how she had looked all day?. Her straight blonde shoulder length hair was down, and it was messy. Probably from the wind. Her thin face was pale, but not as pale as Katie's had been moments before, and her glasses were sitting slightly crooked upon her nose. How hadn't she noticed that? She quickly straightened the frames upon her face and ran a few fingers through her hair in an attempt to rid the tangles the wind had caused.

Tori noticed her friends feeble attempts to straighten out her hair, and giggled. "Here, use this." She said, pulling a hairbrush from her purse and handing it to Maya.

"Thanks" Maya replied with a smile. With a few quick strokes of the brush her hair was tangle free and perfectly straight. "Much better." She said aloud, now satisfied with her appearance.

She looked over at Tori, who was busying herself with putting on another coat of lip gloss.

Maya felt a slight pain of jealousy. Tori was so pretty. She never wore any makeup, other than her infamous lip gloss, and she didn't even try. Whenever the two had sleepovers, they would wake up, first thing in the morning, and Tori looked beautiful. She was one of those people who never had to try hard, or even at all.

She has wavy brown hair, that always looks so shiny and soft, and a perfect complexion, free of any blemishes. Tori competed in beauty pageants as well, and almost always won, or was runner up. She also had the most amazing wardrobe, with the latest fashions. She wasn't single for very long either, although she was now. She had countless boyfriends in the past, and whenever she liked a boy, she had gotten them almost instantaneously.

It's not that Maya thought she, herself was ugly or anything like that, but she wasn't always entirely comfortable with her appearance, and with a best friend as beautiful as Tori, it wasn't hard to imagine why. Maya had never really had a boyfriend either. She had never been to concerned about this fact, but now she was starting to wonder. Did the boys not find her attractive? Now that she thought about it, she couldn't think of any boy ever having a crush on her. Every boy she had ever known had always liked Tori.

Tori puckered her lips, covered in a fresh coat of lip gloss, and then smiled at her reflection before returning the gloss to her purse, and retrieving the hairbrush which Maya had laid on the counter.

"You ready to go?" Tori asked, swinging her purse onto her shoulder. "Class is going to start any minute."

"Sure am." Maya said, taking one last look at her reflection before turning away from the mirror. "What class do you have again?"

"History. Which shouldn't be a problem. First day of classes are always easy. Besides, I'm a huge history buff. I'll have that class in the bag!" Tori replied smugly.

"Yeah? Along with everything else. I swear you have a village of tiny people in that purse." Maya joked.

Tori laughed loudly. "Hey, don't hate on the tote. Everything I, or anyone else could possibly need is in here. Anyway, what class do you have again?"

"French, and I don't know anyone that has it with me." Maya replied glumly, as the two exited the bathroom.

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be alone. Tristan's in that class." Tori told her.

Maya exhaled loudly, "Oh thank goodness. I was really afraid I wouldn't know anyone in that class."

"Well you will, you know me and him are bff's, secondary to you and me of course, and we already went over each other's class schedules. No worries, Tristan's a blast! It'll be a good time. I know you hate French class Maya, but by the end of this first class, you'll be loving it. Trust." Tori replied enthusiastically.

"I hope you're right Tor. Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Tori called as she sped down the hall towards her history class.

Maya sighed. God how she hated French class. It wasn't that she was bad at it either, she was alright, but for some reason, a reason that she couldn't explain, she despised it.

She knew she couldn't put it off any longer, the bell was going to ring soon, signalling the beginning of class, and the last thing she needed was to be late. That would result in stares, and not the good kind.

Maya headed off to French, with a slight feeling of dread in the very pit of her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Big thanks once again to Islanda , and Kayla Crystal for your kind reviews! And thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites/story alerts! Islanda, i think you will be happy with this chappie, at least i hope so. By the title, i think you can probably guess what is going to happen in French class :P. Kayla Crystal, i've gone a bit more into detail about how long Tori and Maya have been friends in this story, and i'm also introducing the character of Tristan Milligan in this chapter. This chapter is also quite a bit longer than the others i have written for this story so far. Please remember to leave me a lil review and let me know what you think you guys! I really appreciate reviews. They actually make my life, because then i know others out there are enjoying my works and my stories, and that is what every writer wants! As always constructive critisism is always welcome as well. Also, since the new episode of Degrassi is airing tomorrow night, i'll probably update again tomorrow. :p. Thanks guys, and enjoy! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 3 - French Class & Campbell.

Maya entered her French classroom just in the nick of time. She had only been in the room for approximately 2 and a half seconds, and hadn't even made it to a seat yet when the bell rang, signalling the beginning of class.

She had hoped if she had made it there before the bell, she wouldn't receive any stares from her fellow classmates, but because she had been the last person to enter the room, and because she hadn't managed to make it to a seat before the bell had tolled, of course everyone still stared.

She felt a blush creeping into her cheeks as she searched for an open seat, as well as the familiar face of Tristan Milligan.

She had been friends with Tristan for about a year, ever since the eigth grade, and one of the main reasons they had become close was because of Tori. Tori had adored Tristan instantly from the first day he had arrived at their previous middle school.

Tori had told Maya all about Tristan. She had gushed over how cute he was, and how he was such an amazing listener, and how everything about him was just great. She had confessed to Maya that she saw Tristan as potential boyfriend material.

Now, Maya had always known Tori to get any boy she ever wanted, and all of the boys always liked Tori, but this was a special case. With Tristan, it had been a completely different story. This was one of the only times Maya had ever witnessed Tori fail to get a boy to like her. Neither of the two girls could wrap their brains around why Tristan didn't seem interested Tori, and why he wasn't getting the hint that she liked him. Maya recalled that Tori had been flirting like a madwoman, and Tristan was always sweet, but nothing ever came of it.

Eventually, Tori had had enough of being subtle, and it was quite obvious that her flirting techniques, which worked wonders on every single other member of the male population, was not working on Tristan.

Maya had been right there with Tori (like every good best friend should be) when she had come right out with it. She had confronted him, and had told Tristan how she felt, and how she had been feeling, and Tristan had pulled both of them aside, and had confessed his reasons as to why he wasn't interested in Tori in that way, and why he never would be. He was gay.

Now, once Tristan had revealed this piece of information, the dots had been connected, and Maya couldn't believe that she had not seen it before. Obviously he was gay, what other reason could there possibly be for him not being interested in Tori that way? The world had finally made sense again, to both girls, and Tristan had been Tori's best friend, and Maya's close friend ever since.

After the shock had worn off, both girls were actually delighted to have a gay friend. It was everything the movies and books depicted, but even better. If that was even possible.

Maya finally spotted Tristan on the left side of the room next to the window. He was waving his arms wildly at her, it seemed in a desperate attempt to grab her attention. How had she not noticed?

She walked quickly over to him.

"Hey Maya, I saved you a seat." Tristan said, as he moved his backpack off the seat next to his. "I had a feeling you might be a little late. I know how much you hate French class." He added in a whisper as the teacher entered and the classroom grew eerily silent.

"Late? I wasn't late." Maya whispered back defensively as she sunk into her seat next to him.

"Pretty close. You made it just seconds before the bell." Tristan stated quietly.

The teacher began to speak then, cutting their conversation short.

"Bonjour! Good afternoon class! My name is Madame Obere, and I will be teaching tu François this semester!" Their teacher greeted them with a thick French accent. "It is Freshman I am dealing with, oui?"

The room was silent. No one answered, as is usually the case. At least in all of the classes Maya had been to so far that day. The teacher would introduce themselves, and ask a question, and the class would remain silent, to 'cool' to answer them, or to speak to an adult. If cool was the word you wanted to use for it.

The teacher would usually then continue to speak, and ask questions, and the students would remain silent and unresponsive. In all honesty, the way the students reacted to them, the teachers would probably have better luck getting a reaction, or a response out of a brick wall.

Madame Obere was not having it however. She tried again. "Am I right? Oui?"

Still, no one answered. There was a heavy silence upon the classroom.

"Excusé moi? Class? Am I speaking to myself? I expect an answer when I am talking to you, okay? Okay. Let us try again, it is freshman I am dealing with, oui?"

"Oui Madame Obere." The entire class answered in unison, in a dreary monotone voice.

It was obvious that Maya was not the only student who didn't want to be here, and that made her feel slightly better.

"Tres bein." Madame Obere said with a smile, nodding her approval to the class. "Now, because we are all new here this year, and this is a fairly small class, we are going to go around the room and introduce ourselves to our classmates, as well as tell a little bit about ourselves."

The class groaned quietly. Maya glanced at Tristan, who was looking back at her, and gave her an eye roll, which made her smile.

"We'll start on the right side of the room, in the back. We'll make our way to the front and go in rows. So young man, stand up please, and tell us a little bit about yourself." Madame Obere ordered.

Maya angled her chair slightly towards the back of the room, so she could see who would be speaking, and who Madame Obere had called out.

A boy stood up. He wasn't exactly tall by any means, he probably had only a few inches on Maya herself, and she was approximately 5'3". He had dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a slightly round face. Maya also noticed he was wearing a red and black jacket, that looked like the type a football player, or someone of that sort would wear. _So, he's a jock. _Maya thought to herself as she looked him over.

The classroom was so quiet, she heard him mutter to himself softly; "oh, gosh. I really really hate doing this." before he began, which made Maya smirk.

"Hey, uh. Well, my names Campbell Saunders." The boy introduce himself in a soft voice.

It was not at all the voice Maya had expected from him, and from the moment she heard him speak, and introduce himself, the dreadful feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach before French class lifted, and she felt completely fine. Or, perhaps content was a better word.

"Bonjour Campbell!" Madame Obere replied with a grin.

"Oh! But, no.. you don't need to call me Campbell." He stated quickly, looking around the room and gesturing to everyone with his hands, "all of you guys, you don't have to call me Campbell. Just call me Cam. Everyone does."

Maya giggled quietly. This boy, Cam, he seemed so nervous, and shy. It was obvious he didn't want to be speaking in front of everyone. She suddenly wondered if he was really a jock of some sport or if he just wore the jacket. Maya had always known jocks to be loud, outgoing, and extremely self absorbed.

"Well, I am going to call you Campbell, because I quite like that name. It is unique. So, tell us a little bit more about yourself Campbell." Madame Obere pried, the smile still upon her face.

"Uh...okay. Um, I'm not actually a freshman. I'm a sophomore." He confessed. "I'm here for hockey. I play hockey for the Toronto Ice Hounds. Because of all the practicing, and games, I'm sort of lacking a French credit." Cam explained quickly, looking down at the desk in front of him as he spoke.

"An Ice Hound in our French class! How extraordinary. We wish you and your team the best of luck Campbell! You may sit down now." Madame Obere told him pleasantly.

Cam exhaled loudly, relief clear upon his face as he took his seat once more.

So, he was a jock. He played hockey. Again, Maya thought to all of the other Ice Hounds she had encountered that day, and how different they had been from this Cam. They had all been loud, and rowdy. Cam seemed so shy and soft spoken.

She had to admit, it was a refreshing change. She also had to admit that she found Cam extremely cute. Extremely.

Maya looked back over her shoulder to Tristan once Cam had taken his seat again. Tristan gave her this look with his eyes. A look that said he was thinking exactly the same thing. He found Cam cute to.

Maya grinned widely at Tristan, and he raised his eyebrows at her, giving her a sort of 'ooh la la' expression, which caused Maya to draw her hand to her mouth, in order to stifle a giggle.

Then, before she knew it, the moment had come, and it was her turn to introduce herself to her peers. Now that she knew of Campbell Saunders, she was sort of looking forward to talking about herself. Just a smidge. She hoped he would be interested in hearing about her.

Then again, what made her think he had even noticed her at all? Unfortunatly, He probably hadn't.

"Hey guys. My name is Maya Matlin" Maya began, before being interupted.

"Oh! You are Katie Matlin's sister, oui?" Madame Obere exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together in delight.

Of course. Maya should have been used to this. She should have expected it. She was stupid not to. Every time she introduced herself, that was the first thing that came out of the other persons mouth. 'You're Katie's sister.' or "you must be Katie Matlin's sister.' Katie. It was always all about Katie. Katie was smart, and Katie was pretty, and Katie was popular and everybody loves Katie. With her stupid illness that nobody knows about.

Maya shocked herself with the hostility she felt at that moment towards her sister. She loved Katie, but why did everything always have to be about her. Why couldn't things be all about Maya for a day?

"Yes, I am." Maya replied, plastering a fake smile upon her face.

"It's lovely to have you in my class Maya. When I had Katie last year, she was always a gem. I expect you'll be no different." Madame Obere told her joyfully.

Maya didn't say anything to this. She just stretched her mouth into an even wider smile. One that hurt her face.

"You may sit now Maya." Madame Obere said. "Next person!"

Maya sat down, anger boiling up inside her. She hadn't gotten to tell anyone anything about herself, let alone Cam, and she had kind of been hoping she could. For the sole reason that Cam would be listening. But no, she hadn't been able to, and it was all because she was Katie's little sister. That's all anybody ever needed to know.

Maya crossed her arms across her chest and frowned as Tristan got up and began introducing himself.

Maya wasn't listening. She was in her own world, thinking about Campbell Saunders. He was so cute, and seemed so different from the others.

But, she came to the sudden realisation that this didn't matter. She didn't really know him, at least not yet, and he didn't know her, and he probably didn't have any desire to know her. She was just Maya Matlin, Katie's little sister.

Maya then came to another realisation. Cam was new, and probably didn't have any idea who Katie was. But this didn't matter either, for no boys were ever interested in Maya in that way, and odds were, as soon as Cam met Tori, any of Maya's very slim chances to get his attention, or to even be with him would dwindle away to absolutely nothing.

But there was something about this Campbell Saunders. Something about him that made Maya curious. She wanted to get to know him, and she wanted to be his friend, even if they would never be anything more.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Big thank you's to Kayla Crystal , SpringtimeLover27 , and HopelesslyFictional for your reviews on chapter 3! (: And once again to all of those who have been favoriting and following this story! It means so much. So, tonight's new episode of Degrassi was pretty intense. I have to admit when the main credits came up, and it showed everyone, and Dylan Everett was no longer there with the rest of the jocks I died a little inside, even though I knew it would happen, as his character is no longer on the show. After this, I was doing okay, until the scene where Eli was looking through the old footage on the video camera, and found Cam and Maya, her on his back, and him spinning her around, with them both smiling and laughing. When it froze on their faces, both extremely happy, I died inside all over again. Only this time a lot. I let the tears fall down my cheeks, not gonna lie. I felt so bad for Eli the whole episode. Anyway, here's chapter 4. Please remember to leave me a lil review! They encourage quicker updates, and always make me feel good about myself, so that's a bonus :p. Also, as always constructive criticism is always welcome. This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous, with more dialouge than anything. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Thanks so much guys! xx **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 4 - Project Partners

As Maya and Tristan's first French lesson continued, and Madame Obere droned on and on about the French language, Maya had begun daydreaming. She was imagining introducing herself to Campbell Saunders. Imagining the many different scenarios that could very well become a reality, if Maya was willing to make it happen.

Finally, she snapped back to the present, and she couldn't restrain herself anymore. She had to know what Tristan thought about Campbell. Tristan was always great when it came to matters like this. She could always trust him for an honest opinion, and he was a pretty good judge of character. She needed to know what he thought Campbell was like. She needed to know if he was even worth her time, or energy.

"So… what do you think of him?" Maya leaned over and inquired Tristan excitedly.

"Huh? What do I think of who?" Tristan whispered, a look of genuine confusion upon his face.

"Campbell Saunders!" Maya whispered back exasperatedly.

"Oh! Why didn't you just say so?" Tristan replied smirking. "He's super cute Maya, and he seems different from the others. The other jocks I mean. Just the way he introduced himself, I got this vibe from him. I can tell he's unique."

Maya grinned broadly. "That's exactly what I got!"

Tristan chuckled quietly before continuing. "Hey, Maya. Do you think he might be… you know…?" He trailed off.

Oh no. Maya should have seen this one coming, but somehow, she hadn't. How had she not? It was obvious. Tristan was into Campbell Saunders. No. No. No. This could not be happening. It wasn't fair! She knew he had thought Campbell was cute, but she didn't think he would be into him. Not in this way. She had been hoping that Tristan would be the person that Maya could gush to about Campbell, not the other way around!

This was bad, very bad. This had the potential to make things messy. This was a situation Maya would do anything to avoid. Tristan was one of Maya's closest friends, and if they both liked the same boy…

"All right class. Listen up!" Madame Obere called out loudly, interrupting Maya's thoughts. "We will be starting this class with a project. The project will be about the French language and how important it really is and why. It will also require you to partner up. So do that now."

Tristan instantly reached out and grabbed Maya's hand. "Partners?"

"Of course. Like you even have to ask." Maya replied happily.

As the students began to pair off, Madame Obere made her way around the classroom, and discovered that one student in particular did not have anybody. Campbell Saunders remained seated in the back of the classroom, alone. He hadn't moved an inch.

"Campbell? You do not have a partner?"

"Uh, no…" Cam replied, looking up at her.

"Well, you must find someone. This project requires two." Madame Obere insisted.

"I don't know who to…" Cam began, his eyes darting around the room, but then he seemed to change his mind, and decided not to finish that sentence. "I don't know anyone here." He finished lamely, looking down at the desk in front of him again.

He was shy. Madame Obere had been teaching long enough, she had known many students like Campbell Saunders.

"Well, we'll just have to find you…" She trailed off, taking a quick look around the room herself. It was then that she realised there was an uneven number of students in the class. She would not be finding a single partner for Campbell.

"A group of three." She announced, as her eyes fell upon Tristan Milligan and Katie Matlin's sister conversing loudly.

"Excuse moi, Maya? Tristan?"

Maya and Tristan both turned their heads in the direction from which their names had been called, towards the back of the classroom.

"Would you two mind working with Campbell? There's an uneven number of students and he has no partner."

"Of course not! We would love to." Tristan piped up.

"Sure thing Madame Obere." Maya replied, nodding her head eagerly.

"Excellent. There you are Campbell! You can go take a seat next to Maya and Tristan." Madame Obere told him, before making her way back to her desk at the front of the room.

Cam got up slowly and sauntered over to the blonde haired girl and brunette boy on the other side of the room. He pulled up a chair and sat across from the girl, on the other side of her desk.

Maya couldn't believe her luck. She had never remembered being a lucky person. In fact, she was almost positive she wasn't, she usually had rotten luck. But, Campbell Saunders was sitting directly across from her, and they were French partners now. This alone made up for the terrible first day she had been having. Everything before this point was forgotten.

She couldn't show that this was how she was feeling though. She didn't want Campbell to think she was some sort of freak, and most importantly, she didn't want to hurt Tristan's feelings by being a flirt. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Tristan about how she was feeling about Campbell, but she knew that Tristan was interested in him. So, she had to play it cool.

"Hey, I'm Maya." She introduced herself, not quite knowing what else to say.

"Tristan." Tristan interjected, introducing himself and holding out his hand to Cam.

Cam's expression became one of slight confusion, but he reached out and shook Tristan's hand none the less.

"I guess we'll all be project partners." Maya said, smiling widely.

She desperately hoped she didn't look, or sound like an idiot.

"I guess so." Cam replied, looking into Maya's eyes, with a slight smile playing at the edge of his lips.

Oh! He looked even cuter when he was just a few feet away.

_Play it cool Maya. Play it cool. Don't do anything that will upset Tristan, and don't do or say anything stupid! _Maya told herself.

His eyes were so gorgeous. A rich chocolate brown…

Tristan cleared his throat loudly, grabbing her attention.

It was then that she realised she had been staring into Cam's eyes for much longer than necessary, and much longer than she had meant to.

She dropped her gaze quickly, feeling her face grow hot.

"So, who wants to do the writing?" Maya mumbled, feeling extremely embarrassed, and refusing to look up. When nobody answered her however, she felt she had to.

She glanced from Tristan to Cam. "Tristan?"

"I don't think so Maya. I'm terrible with spelling and grammar." Tristan replied coolly.

She tried again, looking to Cam this time. "Campbell?"

Cam laughed. "You don't have to call me that Maya, just Cam."

"Oh, right. I thought you mentioned that before, but I wasn't sure if I should…" She trailed off.

Well, this was starting out great. She felt like an idiot already.

"Thanks for asking me, but I personally think you should do the writing. I bet you're handwriting is a lot nicer than mine." Cam replied, the smile still playing at the corners of his lips, and his chocolate brown eyes shining.

Maya was grateful he had somewhat ignored her idiocy, and had just continued the conversation. Something struck her then. Was he… flirting? No, he couldn't be. He was just being nice, that was all. There was nothing more to it than that.

The bell tolled, signalling the end of the period.

Cam stood quickly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Just like that, he was gone.

Maya exhaled loudly and stood with Tristan, exiting the room with him.

Tristan didn't say a word though, and Maya found herself wondering if he was angry with her. But why would he be? She hadn't flirted with Cam. She hadn't done anything of the sort.

Then she remembered that he had had to clear his throat in order to get her attention. Tristan had caught her staring into Cam's beautiful eyes, lost.

Tristan walked off to his next class in the opposite direction without uttering so much as a goodbye, and Maya set off to find Tori.

She needed to tell her everything that had happened in French class. At that moment she needed her best friend's advice, more than anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Big thank you's to Guest , semmaforeva , HopelesslyFictional , hlskroc , Kayla Crystal , and Islanda for all of your kind reviews on chapter 4! (: Also big thanks to everyone who has favorited/story alerted this story. I really enjoyed writing that chapter, and i'm glad you found it cute. I agree, now that Cam's gone fan fictions are the only way to keep him alive, which is why i started this fic in the first place. I was kinda depressed, and i needed a way for Cam to still be alive, so i began writing, and this story is what came of it. As i always say i will truly miss Dylan Everett on the show. He's so amazing. This chapter sadly does not include Cam, and i don't think he'll make another appearance until... Chapter 7. Sorry to those craving some more 'Camaya"/"Maybell" moments, but you'll just have to wait patiently. This chapter introduces Zig and the role he will play in this story. Please remember to leave me a lil review and let me know what you think of this story so far! Reviews make my life (: I'll also probably update this story again of Friday, right after the all new episode of Degrassi (: Thanks guys! xx**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters._**

Chapter 5- I've got Something to Tell You

Maya searched the halls of Degrassi for what seemed an eternity for Tori, before finally deciding to give up. They both had gym class next period anyway, she would see her there.

Having already wasted half of her ten minute break, Maya hurried to her locker to retrieve her gym clothing. As she did so, she ended up running into none other than Marisol Lewis. Her sister Katie's best friend.

"Hey! Maya!" Marisol called, trying to grab her attention.

Maya ignored her, pretending she had simply not seen or heard her, and kept walking. She had no time for this. She was going to be late.

"Maya!" Marisol tried again, chasing after her.

"What is it Marisol?" Maya asked, refusing to slow her pace. She needed to get to gym. She needed to talk to Tori. Plus, she had a feeling Marisol was going to ask her where Katie was, and Maya really had no desire to tell her. She had already almost let Katie's secret slip to one to many people today.

"I just wanted to know where Katie is. I haven't seen her since lunch." Marisol replied, jogging in order to keep up with Maya's brisk pace.

How had Maya known.

"How should I know? Katie's barely spoken to me all day. Just because we're sisters doesn't mean I know where she is at all times." Maya snapped irritably as she reached her locker. She played around for a while with her lock, as she couldn't quite remember the combination. She felt Marisol's eyes on her back the entire time, and she desperately wished Marisol would just go away. She didn't know where Katie was! Hadn't that been enough? It was an answer, wasn't it? Why was Marisol still lingering?

"I'm sorry. I just thought you might know…"

"Well I don't." Maya stated abruptly, cutting Marisol off mid sentence. She was still struggling with her lock, and she was getting more and more tense as the seconds ticked by.

Marisol was silent for a moment, before finally saying; "11-32-16."

Maya spun around and gawked at her open mouthed, confused. "Huh?"

"Your locker combination. It's 11-32-16." Marisol explained, taking a step forward and reaching for the lock, and in less than 2 seconds, she had swung Maya's locker door open for her.

"How did you…" Maya began, still completely confused.

"This was my locker last year. I always remember my combinations." Marisol replied. "I'll see you around Maya." She added before disappearing into the swarm of bodies that were all struggling to make their way to their next class.

Maya quickly grabbed her stuff and slammed her locker door shut, mentally repeating the combination over and over again as she made her way to the gymnasium.

When she got there, she spotted Tori, sitting on the bleachers with Zig Novak. Maya Tori and Tristan had all met Zig over the summer at a local fair. They had all become fast friends, and as much as Maya enjoyed Zig's personality, and spending time with him, this was the last thing she needed. She wanted to talk to Tori, and tell her about Campbell Saunders, and there was no way she would be able to do it in front of Zig. Talking about things like this in front of boys was just extremely awkward, for both genders.

Maya ducked into the girls changing room and quickly changed out of her day clothes and into her gym ones. She pulled her blonde hair back into a low ponytail and laced up her gym sneakers before heading out into the gymnasium once more.

She approached Tori and Zig, and dropped her backpack to the ground.

"Hi Maya." Zig greeted her with a wide smile, scooting over in order to make a place for Maya to sit between him and Tori.

Maya couldn't help but notice that Tori didn't seem totally happy with this action, but she didn't call her best friend out on it.

"Hey Zig, hey Tori." Maya replied, taking a seat reluctantly where Zig had made room.

"So, how was French class? Did you like?" Tori questioned enthusiastically, the displeased expression vanishing and the corners of her mouth pulling up into a smile.

A smile spread across Maya's own face as she thought about Campbell Saunders, and she nodded. "I did. It was… interesting."

"Interesting?" Tori probed. "I smell a story behind this! Enlighten us. What exactly happened in French class today Maya?"

Maya seriously considered just telling Tori everything, even though Zig was sitting right there listening. She thought better of it though. "I'll tell you later Tori. After school?"

"Yes! Okay, first I'll go home, pick up some snacks, and then I'll come over. You will tell me everything, and you won't leave out anything! I'll need details!" Tori replied with crazy enthusiasm. "For some reason I sense a boy behind that smile. Am I right?"

Maya smiled even wider, and she felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks.

"I am right! Ohmygosh."

Maya noticed Zig shifting uncomfortably. This was exactly the reason why Maya had not wanted to talk about anything here. She hated making others feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, yes. You're right Tor. We'll talk about it tonight. After school."

"Cool." Tori laughed, "I cannot wait!"

"That makes two of us."

Gym class started then.

It was explained that the weeks would be divided into different sports. Therefore, a different sport would be played in class every week, and every single person was expected to participate. It didn't matter how coordinated, or uncoordinated you were. If you didn't participate, you didn't get the credit, and If you didn't get the credit, you wouldn't be graduating on time in the next 4 years, ect. Ect.

They had all heard this speech before.

The chosen sport for this week was volleyball. Maya loved volleyball, it was the one (and only) sport she was actually good at. She couldn't seem to concentrate on the present though. Her mind kept wandering without her permission to Cam, and this was a dangerous thing. Not only was it dangerous for her emotionally, but physically as well.

She ended up getting hit by the ball 12 times, and at one point it nearly broke her glasses when it had smacked her full force in the face.

The bridge of her nose swelling, Maya was extremely grateful when the bell finally tolled, signalling the end of class, and the end of a very long day.

As she made her way out of the gymnasium and into the emptying halls, she spotted Tristan.

"Tristan!" She called out to him, but he didn't answer. He didn't even look at her, just continued to walk in the opposite direction.

Ouch. So that's what that felt like. She felt slightly guilty for doing it to Marisol earlier.

She started towards the doors, ready for the walk home, when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around only to come face to face with Zig.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked her with a small smirk upon his face.

"Of course not." Maya replied, returning the smile. "It's a long walk home, and I could use the company."

"Cool." Was his reply as they walked out into the school grounds. The sun was shining, and it was surprisingly warm for September.

There was a silence between them as they began the walk home, but it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. The silence was always comfortable with Zig, there was no need for constant words between them, and that was a rare thing to find in a friendship.

"Maya, I've got something I want to tell you." Zig finally announced, breaking the silence.

Maya cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

She could tell he wanted to answer, but it seemed he was lost for words. Which was weird. Zig was never lost for words. She had known him for 3 months, and he had never behaved in this way before. As he continued to struggle, she became increasingly curious. What could it possibly be? Was it something serious? Was he about to confide some sort of problem he had in her?

Oh no, please no. She didn't want to seem rude, but she really couldn't handle anyone else's problems. She already had to hide her own sisters problem. She didn't need another persons, another thing that she couldn't tell. Another thing that she would have to keep a secret. She was tired of secrets. She hated secrets.

He still hadn't spoken, and Maya decided to speak up, before he did.

"Listen Zig, you're one of my best friends, we've known each other for what, like three months now? You're great, but if you're going to tell me something serious, I really don't think I would be able to handle it. Not right now." She explained, trying her best not to sound rude, or like she didn't care. "I hope you understand. I just have so much on my plate already, with my family…"

She had almost told another person about Katie. It was on the tip of her tongue, sitting there, just begging to come out. She needed to stop talking now, before it did.

She clamped her mouth shut. Biting down on her tongue. Choking back the words that were threatening to escape her lips.

Zig looked to her, and nodded in response. "Okay Maya, maybe another time." He replied, with a relieved expression.

The walk then continued in silence. Maya couldn't trust herself to speak again. It had been to close. After approximately 7 minutes, they reached Zig's house, and Maya's was just a few houses down.

"I'll see ya tomorrow Maya." He said, waving and departing down his driveway, leaving her to complete the rest of the walk, alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the lack of the update! I meant to update this story last Friday after the new episode, but i discovered that my internet wasn't working. Which was my worst nightmare. When i got home from school today i was informed it was fixed, and i can't tell you how relieved i was. I added more to this chapter to make it the longest yet,i hope that will make up for the lack of update! Now, there is no Camaya moments in this chapter i'm sorry to say. He will reappear in the next chapter though, don't worry! This chapter is full of Maya/Katie and Tori/Maya stories. Maya does gush about Cam though, so it's not completely Cam free, don't worry about that! Big thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favourites and everyone who has put it on their alert list. Also big thank you's to SpringtimeLover27 , semmaforeva , Guest , ItsVintageHearts , and Dramamamapwnsall for all of your kind reviews! I really really appreciate reviews you guys, so please remember to leave me a lil one and let me know what you think about the chapter, and if your liking this story! Thank you, and i'll be sure to update again after the new episode of Degrassi this Friday! Thanks guys! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 6- You Like Who?

"I'm home!" Maya called out as she entered her house through the front door.

"No one cares!" Came a snippy reply from the den.

Maya dropped her backpack to the floor in the main hallway and strutted into the den, searching for the person who had made the rude remark, although she was almost positive it could be none other than her sister. Her mother would never say such a thing, and she had no other annoying siblings.

She was absolutely right of course. She entered the den, and found Katie, stretched out on the full length of the leather sofa. The remote for the television was in her hand, and she was watching what appeared to be some sort of music video show.

"Yeah? Well…" Maya began, searching her brain for an amazing insult, one that would put all others to shame. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. "No one cares about you!" Maya finished lamely.

"Katie glanced up at her sister. "Wow. Did you spend all night coming up with that one?" She asked sarcastically.

Maya crossed her arms in front of her chest and sighed loudly. "Where's mom?"

"She went out." Katie replied, her eyes straying back to the TV.

"Out where?" Maya questioned.

When Katie didn't respond, she began tapping her foot impatiently on the den's soft plush carpet.

"Out where?" She tried once again, speaking a little louder this time. Katie still didn't answer, she suddenly seemed totally engrossed with the music videos playing on the TV. "KATIE!" Maya shouted at her sister, feeling more than slightly irritated.

Katie's eyes flitted back to Maya's figure in the doorway of the den. "What?"

"Where did mom go?" Maya yelled, her temper flaring. Why was Katie always such a pain? Wasn't she the older sister here? She sure didn't act like it.

"She had a doctors appointment." Katie replied absentmindedly, her eyes straying back to the TV once more.

"Oh." Well, Tori's coming over in a bit. She said she was going to grab some snacks, and then she would be here." Maya told her sister.

Katie exhaled loudly but didn't look up from the TV again. "Seriously Maya? Don't you see enough of her at school?"

Maya was done. She didn't want to talk to her sister anymore. She spun around on her heel and began making her exit from the den.

"Oh, and Maya?" Katie added, causing Maya to turn back to her sister. "There's no need to shout." She said with a smirk, before turning the volume on the TV up.

Maya stormed out of the den, her blood boiling. She made her way to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. What gave Katie the right to talk to her like that, and ignore her as she pleased. What gave her the right to go home halfway through the first day of school, and laze around on the couch watching TV. Was it because of her illness? It just wasn't fair. Nothing was fair. Life wasn't fair.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to read the message. It was from Tori.

'Hey Maya! Just grabbed the grub, and I'm leaving now. My mom's driving me, so I'll be there in 5!'

Maya sat down on her bedspread and smiled to herself as she remembered the reason that Tori was coming over. It was so she could tell her about her day. So she could tell Tori all about Cam. Campbell Saunders. At the thought of him, all of Maya's anger towards Katie faded away completely.

The doorbell suddenly rang, pulling Maya out of her thoughts. She jumped up and ran to get it, knowing it would be Tori.

Apparently she wasn't quick enough though, as the doorbell rang out two more times.

"Maya! Get the door!" Katie shouted from the den.

"Maya! Get the door!" Maya mocked her sister in an annoying high pitched voice before pulling the front door open.

Sure enough, there stood Tori, with a plastic grocery bag in tow.

"Hey hey hey!" Tori greeted, and rushed inside before Maya had the chance to say anything. "Okay, so I've got chips, dip, chocolate bars, and a 2L of Pepsi. Lets get this party started! Haaay!" Tori said as she made an obscene 'raise the roof' gesture.

Maya burst out laughing. "Tori, I really don't think you need any of this stuff! It's all sugar, and I'm almost positive that you've already had your daily dose."

"Oh shush!" Tori replied with a huge smile.

Katie appeared in the den doorway then, looking irritated. "Excuse me? Some people are trying to watch TV. Could you two hens move it and go cluck somewhere else?"

Maya rolled her eyes at her sister before brushing passed her and leading Tori to her room.

"What's up with your sister?" Tori asked. "She looked so sick earlier, now she looks fine, but she's…"

"We think it's a mood disorder." Maya told Tori jokingly.

"Well, let's forget about her. So, tell me Maya, what happened in your French class today? I need the story and I need details!"

A huge grin broke out across Maya's face. This was it, this was her chance to tell Tori all about Cam. This was the moment she had been looking forward to ever since French class had ended that afternoon. "I met a boy today, and I think I like him." Maya began.

"Ohmygosh! Details! Details Maya! I need to know his name, I need to know what he looks like, I need to know his height, and I need to know what he's like! Okay? GO!" Tori replied in a rush as she rustled through the shopping bag and pulled out the regular chips and onion dip.

"Well, I can't tell you how tall he is, because, I just met him today and it would be weird if I knew that…" Maya began thoughtfully. In truth she could probably make a pretty good guess about this fact, but she didn't want to seem obsessed or anything. "But his name is Campbell Saunders. He's a sophomore, and he's so so so cute Tor! He has these gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, brown hair, and just a perfect face. I don't think I've ever found a boy so attractive in my entire life. He plays hockey for the Toronto Ice Hounds, so he's a jock, but you would never know it Tori! He's not like all the other jocks! He's seems so sweet, and he's soft spoken, and really shy. Oh, and he likes to be called Cam. Apparently that's what everyone calls him instead of his full name. But I love his full name. Campbell, it just rolls of the tongue. It's so unique! I don't think there's anything about this guy that I don't like Tori!" Maya explained in a huge rush of words. It was here that she realised she hadn't taken a breath in awhile, and she was out of oxygen.

Tori seemed to notice to. "Maya! Maya breathe!" She laughed. "He sounds great! And it's so awesome that you like him and everything." Tori replied excitedly, dipping a chip and popping it into her mouth.

"You don't even know the best part Tor, Madame Obere assigned him to be mine and Tristan's partner for our first class project!" Maya explained, her heartbeat quickening at the thought of working with Cam again tomorrow.

"Ohmygosh! That's awesome!" Tori exclaimed excitedly. "Maya that's so amazing! Really."

"I know!" Maya squealed joyfully, beaming at her best friend. Her heart suddenly grew heavy though as she though about Tristan, and how he had seemed angry with her after French class, and hadn't spoken to her for the rest of the day.

The smile slowly disappeared off of Maya's face, and her eyes grew dim.

"Maya? What's wrong?" Tori asked concerned, chomping down on another chip.

"It's just, Tristan. He asked me if I thought Cam could be… gay. Tristan likes him too Tor. Tristan likes him, and he also caught me staring into Cam's eyes totally out to lunch. He hasn't spoken to me since."

Tori's concerned expression changed to one of complete horror. "Maya! How could you? If you knew Tristan liked him, or thought he was cute, you should of talked to him about it first before making any moves on Cam!"

"But, I didn't make any moves on Cam!" Maya replied defensively. "His eyes are just so beautiful Tor! I got lost in them, I couldn't look away! You know I'm a sucker for brown eyes."

Tori's expression softened to a more neutral one after hearing this, and she sighed. "I know Maya. Well, you should still talk to Tristan about this. Before anything else happens between you and Cam. You don't want to lose your friendship with him over a boy, do you?"

"Of course not." Maya said, frowning.

"Good. Now start munching! You haven't even touched the food I brought yet!" Tori replied with a laugh.

Maya's face broke out into a smile once again as she nodded in agreement and reached into the chip bag for a handful.

"Maya?" Tori spoke again.

"Yeah Tor?"

"I want to tell you something too. I've sort of got a crush on someone." Tori began quietly, and not at all like her usual self.

"Really? Who is it?" Maya questioned curiously.

Tori was silent for a moment, it appeared she was trying to decide if she should tell Maya at all. But they were best friends, how could she not?

"It's Zig." She finally breathed.

Maya giggled loudly, "Oh my gosh Tori! You like Zig? That's so awesome! Are you going to tell him?"

Tori smirked, "I think I will, soon. Today was just the first day back, I've got a lot of time." She replied.

"Better not wait to long Tor. He's a pretty handsome chap, I've got to admit that! All the girls on the block will be knocking at his door in no time." Maya teased.

Tori laughed, "Did you seriously just reference a Carly Rae Jepsen song?"

"So what if I did?" Maya challenged, laughing and reaching into the chip bag between them for another handful.

Tori just shook her head. She then pulled out her phone to check the time.

"Ohmygosh! It's nearly 7 already! Time flies when you're having fun huh? I should get going. My mum will be wondering where I'm staying. I'll be walking home of course, gotta work of all of this junk somehow." Tori said with a smile. "Keep the chips! I'll see ya tomorrow."

"mmmkay. See ya Tor!" Maya called as Tori exited her bedroom. She heard Tori say bye to Katie before hearing the front door slam shut.

Maya then scooped up the chip bag and dip in her arms and made her way to the den, plunking herself down next to Katie on the end of the leather sofa. She was still stretched out on the full length, and it appeared that she had not moved an inch in the last three hours.

"Whatcha watching?" Maya asked her sister.

"Canada's got talent," Katie replied, watching the TV intently. "Some of these people are ridiculously untalented. When they think they're an absolutely amazing singer, and they can't carry a tune. That's the best." She added with a laugh.

Maya smiled. "Want some chips?" She questioned, offering the bag to Katie.

Katie's eyes darted to Maya, and she stared at her for a few moments, a horrified expression in her blue irises. "No."

Maya's smile turned to a frown. "Come on Katie, you haven't eaten since lunch, and I know you didn't keep that down." She said matter of factly. "You need to eat something!" She urged.

"Fine. I'll have a yogurt or something before I go to bed." Katie replied, her eyes moving back to the television.

Maya rolled her eyes. "No Katie. You need to eat something, now."

Katie sighed, "don't you have something else to be doing? Like homework."

"Katie, it was the first day back."

"Right. Okay, hand me the chips." Katie replied, caving in and extending her arm, reaching for the bag in Maya's lap.

Maya smiled, proud that she had convinced her sister to eat something. Now if she could just convince her to keep it in her stomach.

"And Katie?"

"Yeah?" Katie answered as she bit into the first chip, chewing it slowly.

"I'll be watching you." Maya stated seriously.

A small smile appeared upon Katie's face at this comment. "I'm glad you're always watching out for me Maya. I know we fight and stuff, but you always have my back. Thanks for covering for me earlier today in the bathroom with Tori, and for not telling anyone at school, nothing would be the same if they all found out."

Guilt seemed to be burning a hole in Maya's stomach as she thought about how many times today she had almost let Katie's secret slip. She had to be more careful. She couldn't let her jealousy and hard feelings towards her sister at times get the better of her. She cared about her sister too, even though they fought, but what type of siblings didn't fight, and get on each others nerves?

"You're welcome Katie." Maya replied, getting up off the couch and hugging her sister.

Katie hugged her back. "I love ya chicken little."

Maya's face broke out into a grin. Katie had called her this for as long as she could remember. It was one of the many nicknames that Katie had labelled her with, (some of which that weren't very nice.) and this one was her favourite.

"Love you too." Maya replied, before breaking away. "So, do you think mom will be home soon?"

"She should have been home ages ago! I bet you anything she got stuck waiting forever because they forgot to confirm her appointment or something. I swear those receptionists are the worst." Katie said, folding the chip bag over and placing it on the coffee table.

Maya laughed at this. "Yeah, probably."

Katie got up then, stretched and started making her way out of the room.

"Where you going?" Maya asked, jumping up.

Katie turned to her with a puzzled expression on her face. "To get a glass of water. Is that an issue?"

"Oh… No… I thought…" Maya trailed off embarrassed at her over reaction. As soon as Katie had gotten up, her immediate thought was she was going to the bathroom to throw up the chips she had just eaten. It hadn't even occurred to Maya that her sister might just want a drink. She slowly sat back down as Katie glared at her, with anger and hurt in her eyes. She strutted out of the den without another word.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thank you Kayla Crystal for your review! Remember to leave me a lil review and let me know if your enjoying and what you think you guys! Reviews always make me happy :3. Now, this chapter does have Cam in it, but only a very little, he doesn't actually speak, *ducks and covers* please don't kill me! Haha :p. Chapter 8 they will be in French Class again, and there will be plenty of Camaya moments! Trust me! It'll make up for me leaving him out of the last few chapters! Thanks to eveyone reading, reviewing, and favoriting! It means a lot! Thanks guys! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 7- "Who is He!"

Maya awoke to the shrill sound of her alarm clock on her bedside table. She groaned loudly and slammed her hand down on the snooze button. _Just five more minutes._ She thought to herself dozing off once again. This, of course is the biggest lie anyone will ever tell themselves. Five more minutes always turns to ten, ten to twenty, and before you know it, you're running late. This was exactly the case this morning, as Maya hit the snooze button 3 more times after the first.

Katie opened up Maya's bedroom door loudly and poked her head into the room. "Maya?" She called.

Maya didn't respond, as she was off in La la land once again.

"Maya? Get your butt out of bed! We're gonna be late for school!" Katie yelled, walking towards her sister and shaking her violently.

"What time is it?" Maya groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing her tired eyes.

"It's already 8:20." Katie replied, ripping the covers off of her sister. "Get out of bed and get ready! Mom's not driving, so we have to walk. I'm gonna be late because I had to get you up before I left, but you're gonna be later. You better get mom to write you a note to excuse your tardiness."

"WHAT? It's already 8:20 and I still have to get ready AND walk?" Maya cried, jumping up and rushing over to her closet.

"Yep. That's why you don't hit 'snooze' twenty times." Katie replied as she walked over to the bedroom door.

Maya turned to her sister with a dirty expression as she threw a pair of jeans and a t-shirt onto her bed. "It was only 5 times actually."

"Whatever. It was enough times to make you late! I'll see you at school." Katie said, exiting Maya's bedroom.

"Yeah sure. Whatever." Maya muttered as she got herself ready.

She couldn't believe how late she had overslept. She had been planning on getting up early, to make herself look pretty for when she would see Cam today, but now she had little time to think about what outfit would make her look her best, and little time to think about how to do her hair. Make up for the day was also out of the question.

She pulled on the plain t-shirt and jeans and quickly made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She pulled a comb through the tangles in her blonde hair a few times. Shoot. She didn't even have time to shower. Her hair would have to go up in a ponytail.

She took one last look at herself in the bathroom mirror before rushing for her schoolbag which she had left by the front door the night before. She looked terrible, and she felt equally terrible. She couldn't believe she would have to go through an entire day at school like this. Worst of all, she would have to face Campbell Saunders looking like this. She was utterly embarrassed and felt nothing but dread at this, but it was her own fault. Katie was right, she shouldn't have kept hitting snooze. That was the root of this problem.

"Bye mom! See you after school!" Maya called to her mother as she laced up her sneakers, picked up her bag and left the house.

She checked the time on her phone; 8:40. She was already 10 minutes late. First class started at 8:30, and it would take her another 10 minutes to even get to school walking. She placed her phone back in her pocket and broke into a run.

When she arrived at school it was 5 minutes to nine. She didn't even bother going to her locker, she had already forgotten the combination again. She would have to see if she could find Marisol to help her at break.

She raced to her English class, and burst through the door. The teacher was in the middle of giving a lesson of course, and Maya had interrupted. All eyes in the room were on her. She stood in the doorway, stock still. Frozen.

"Maya Matlin. How kind of you to show up." The teacher announced in an annoyed tone.

Maya looked to the teacher, she could feel that familiar warmth creeping into her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I overslept and-"

She was cut off. "I really could care less what your excuse is Miss Matlin. Just take your seat please and let me get back to teaching my lesson. I can tell you one thing, you're sister Katie was never late for one of my classes. It's a shame to say I can't say the same for you." Her teacher replied coldly.

Maya could've kicked herself for not getting her mom to write her a note. She only now remembered that Katie had suggested that this morning before she had left. She quickly went and took a seat next to Tori, who gave her a sympathetic look.

When the bell rang and class ended, they got up together to leave the classroom.

"Ohmygosh. She's such a witch!" Tori exclaimed once they were out of earshot of their English teacher. "I mean I totally can't believe she said that to you in front of the whole class!"

"I know." Maya replied with a sigh, "It was so embarrassing."

"Just forget about her." Tori suggested, "think about something else… Someone else."

A smile crept across Maya's face as she took Tori's advice. She though about Cam, and how she would be working with him this afternoon.

Tori noticed, and giggled. "Cam thoughts?"

"How did you guess?" Maya questioned happily.

"Just the expression on your face. It says it all." Tori replied knowingly.

It was then that Maya caught a glimpse of him, in the hall. Cam. He was walking with another boy who was dressed in an identical red and black sports jacket to his own, and they were heading in Maya and Tori's direction.

Her heart broke into a sprint. He looked just as beautiful as he had yesterday. He was perfect. Should she say something as he passed, perhaps a hello? No. She decided against it, even though she was excited to see him and work with him in French class that afternoon, she was also slightly embarrassed that she would have to do so when she looked the way she did today.

Although she had decided that she wouldn't say hello to him, that didn't mean she couldn't point him out to Tori.

"Hey, Tor?" Maya began softly.

"Yeah?" Tori questioned curiously.

"See those two boys walking in our direction, with the red and black 'Ice Hounds' sports jackets?" Maya asked her best friend.

"Yes." Tori replied, "They're super cute, but what about them?"

Maya grinned widely, "see the one with the brown hair, the shorter of the two?"

"Yeah…" Tori replied again, seeming slightly unsure about how she was supposed to be reacting to this.

"Look at him closely as he walks by." Maya whispered, as the boys were just about to pass them.

Tori drank in every detail of the boy that Maya had pointed out as the guys approached and proceeded to walk by. Once they had passed, Tori turned her whole body towards Maya. "Maya! He's gorgeous! Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh! Who is he?"

"That, was none other than Campbell Saunders." Maya replied with a giggle.

"That was Cam? Ohmygosh! Maya he's to cute! Ahh. You're description of him was pretty accurate, but seeing him in person, WOW!" Tori exclaimed, hugging Maya. "You need to talk to him! Start with friendship, see where things go from there. Oh, and be sure to talk to Tristan before things get to heated!"

"Don't worry Tor, I will." Maya assured her.

"Awesome!" Tori squealed. "We better get to class, we don't need you being late for another one." Tori added, grabbing Maya's hand and pulling her along.

Maya couldn't stop smiling as she though about Tori's appraisals of Cam. She was going to take her advice. Start things slow, with friendship, and see what happened from there. She wasn't going to rush anything.

She also needed to find Tristan at lunch. She needed to make things right with him, and talk to him about Cam, before French class. She had to.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Big thanks to semmaforeva , Kayla Crystal , and Islanda for your kind and consistant reviews! Every review, no matter how big or small makes my day, and makes me feel great, so please remember to leave me a lil review and let me know what you think, and if you like this story so far! I really appreciate all the feedback. You guys are awesome! Now, this chapter has a little bit of everything. It has Maya, Katie, Marisol, Tori, Tristan, Zig, and most importantly, Cam. Yes, Cam will make a very much deserved appearance in this chapter, in french class. Now, this chapter is an extremely long one because i put all of the characters into it, and i worked extremely, extremely hard on this! Like, i've been working for days on this. Ever since the last time i updated, so i would really love it if you guys left me a lil review on this chapter. I'm sorry if it starts to drag, but i didn't want to split it up. I hope you guys understand! Also big thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favs and/or alerts. Thank you thank you! I really hope you guys like this chapter! Enjoy! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 8- I Forgot… Forgive Me… Add Me.

As soon as the lunch bell tolled Maya made a beeline for her sister Katie's locker. She hadn't had a chance to go to her own locker yet, and she also hadn't seen Marisol. She needed to find her now so she could stop carrying all of her heavy books around with her.

She arrived at Katie's locker and waited for a few minutes, until she finally spotted Katie and Marisol making their way slowly towards her in the crowd of students.

"Hey Maya, what are you doing here? You need something?" Katie asked her as she opened up her locker and shoved her backpack and binder inside.

"Um, I was looking for Marisol actually." Maya confessed.

Marisol, who was standing on the other side of Katie, her back to them conversing with a pleasantly plump brown haired boy turned back towards Katie, her ears perking up. "Did someone say my name?" She asked, looking to Katie, and then her eyes found Maya. She looked at her curiously, "What's up?" She questioned.

"I forgot my locker combination." Maya explained, short and to the point.

Katie snorted. "You forgot your locker combination. _You_ forgot your locker combination. How is that Marisol's problem?"

Maya sighed. She was hoping she would be able to save the explanation, make it short and to the point so she could drop off her books and made her way to the cafeteria to talk to Tristan. This of course wasn't going to happen. Katie just had to know everything. "It used to be Marisol's locker. She helped me out with it yesterday when I forgot." She explained quickly.

"Well, maybe you should write it down and keep it with you. That way you don't have to be running to Marisol every time you forget." Katie suggested, closing her own locker door and turning to Maya with a smile.

Now, the tone Katie had used as she replied hadn't been rude, or condescending, or anything like that. It had been perfectly normal, even kind. It was just a suggestion she had made, she had only been trying to help her sister out, and deep down Maya knew this. But, for some reason, it irritated her to no end.

"Yeah, like I never thought of that." Maya snapped back.

The smile disappeared from Katie's face, and was replaced with a slight frown. "jeez, why are you so cranky?"

Maya didn't reply, she just stood there, glaring at her sister.

Katie looked Maya up and down, taking in the entirety of her appearance before finally answering her own question. "Oh yeah. Maybe it's because you overslept, didn't listen to your alarm clock, and were late."

Marisol giggled, "so you're best friends with the snooze button to huh?"

Maya didn't take her eyes off of her sister, her temper flaring, but she tried to keep it cool. "I sure am." She replied, "now can we go please? I've been carrying these books around all day and I'd really love to get rid of them."

Marisol's eyes widened as though something had just clicked in her brain. "Oh, yeah right! I'll help you out. Lead the way."

Maya then turned and headed in the direction of her locker, Katie and Marisol following close behind. When they arrived, Marisol tucked the notebook from the previously class she had been carrying under one arm, and opened the lock with ease, "there you go." She said with a smile.

"Thanks Marisol, you're a lifesaver!" Maya replied, smiling back.

"No problem, oh, and Maya?" Marisol began, opening up the notebook that was back in her hands and ripping out a piece of loose-leaf. She took the pen that was tucked behind her ear and wrote something down on it. She then folded it up into a small square and handed it to Maya.

"What is it?" Maya asked curiously.

"The combination for the lock. Just keep it in your jeans pocket, and try to remember to keep it with you until you know the combination by heart." Marisol replied with a grin.

"Okay," Maya said, placing the folded paper into the front pocket of her jeans. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Marisol called back as her and Katie were already making their way back down the crowded hallway.

Maya quickly shoved her backpack and books from the morning roughly into her locker, and slammed it shut.

Now it was time to head to the cafeteria. She was finally going to get a chance to make things right with Tristan.

Maya made her way into the cafeteria, which seemed to be even more crowded than the hallways. She spent a few minutes standing by the doorway looking around frantically, until she finally caught sight of Tori's bright pink cashmere sweater. She was sitting with Tristan, and Zig in a small corner near the back. She was glad Tori had decided to wear this sweater today, or it might have taken ages for Maya to find them, if she could at all.

She raced over to their table, knocking over several chairs as she went, and dodging fellow students, until she finally managed to reach them.

Tori was in a deep conversation with Zig about her classes, and Maya smiled to herself as she remembered Tori liked him.

She sunk down in the empty seat, that just so happened to be next to Tristan. How convenient. "Hey guys." Maya greeted them all.

Tori glanced up at her, smiling, she gave a little wave, but didn't break her conversation with Zig. Zig, on the other hand greeted her back loudly, beaming.

"Hi Maya!"

Tori looked slightly hurt by the fact that he had stopped listening to her to say hello, and Maya, well, Maya felt confused, though she tried not to show it. Why was Zig greeting her like that? It was in an enthusiastic matter, as if he had… missed her? No. Why would he. They were friends, and nothing more…

"Hey Zig." She replied cheerfully. She then turned her attention to Tristan, who was looking down at his food, and hadn't said a word.

Tori recaptured Zig's attention, and Maya thought it was best for her to capture Tristan's.

"Hi Tristan." Maya said cheerfully. When he didn't look up or respond whatsoever, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Tristan flinched away from Maya's touch, and still refused to look up. She sighed heavily, "Tristan, please, look at me." Maya pleaded, "we need to talk."

Tristan slowly looked up at Maya. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Obviously there is! You're mad at me!" Maya replied loudly, trying to keep her emotions in check. It was tough. She couldn't handle people being mad at her.

This loud reply caught both Tori and Zig's attention, and Tori realised immediately what was going on. The talk. They needed to be alone for this, and they needed to talk things through.

"Zig, want to come for a walk around the school with me? We could check out some of the clubs, and extra curricular activities that they're offering." Tori suggested.

Zig looked at her uncertainly, "I don't know, I don't really feel like walk-…" He stopped himself as he caught sight of the urgent expression on Maya's face. One that said 'Go!'

"Come on! It'll be so fun!" Tori pried, as he continued to look into Maya's urgent blue eyes. Tori stood and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stand as well.

"All right, lets go." Zig replied, giving up and finally managing to pry his eyes away from Maya's, he followed Tori out of the cafeteria.

"So, what if I am?" Tristan finally replied after the other two had left.

Maya rolled her eyes, "I need to know why, although I think I already do. Is this about Cam?"

That seemed to strike a nerve. Tristan's face flushed red, and his eyes blazed with anger. "I caught you staring into his eyes all dreamily. I saw it Maya!"

"I'm so sorry Tristan! I couldn't help myself, I couldn't look away. He's just so cute, his eyes, they're so gorgeous, I…" Maya trailed off, wondering if she should continue, but it was already to late. Tristan was smart, and he seemed to have figured it out on his own.

"You… You like him!" Tristan exclaimed, sounding hurt, and staring at her in utter disbelief.

Maya couldn't lie to him. He had called her out on it. "I do." She admitted quietly, placing her hands on the tabletop and looking down at them. She couldn't bear to look into Tristan's eyes. She couldn't bear seeing his reaction. She didn't want to hurt him, but what could she do? It was the truth. She liked Campbell Saunders. There was no denying that.

It was silent, Tristan didn't respond.

"I get it Maya. I can see why you would like him. It's the same reason I did. He's cute, and he's different. Much different than the others." Tristan finally said, breaking the silence between them.

Maya glanced up at him, over the rims of her glasses.

A small smile appeared on Tristan's face as he continued. "But, he's not so different, that he would ever be interested in a guy. Trust me, I know that. I was being ridiculous. I just hoped… Anyway, it doesn't matter. Plus the way he was looking at you yesterday, I can tell there's definitely something there. Between the two of you, and in all honesty, that's why I was so upset and angry yesterday… and a bit today."

Maya's jaw dropped, "you mean, you really think he could be… you know… interested in me in that way?" Maya said shocked.

What was she doing? Was she trying to get Tristan mad at her all over again? She was being insensitive. Asking him about this, she should stop.

"I'm sorry Tristan!" She exclaimed quickly, "I won't ask you anymore, and I won't talk about him anymore, and the relationship between Cam and me will be strictly French partners. All professional."

Tristan gave her a smile and laughed, "don't be silly Maya. I can see now how much you like him. Don't do this to yourself on my account. Cam's not interested in guys, he's interested in girls, and you're a girl. It's not your fault."

Maya smiled at him in return. "Oh thank you!" She cried, jumping out of her seat and knocking her chair backwards in the process. She flung her arms around Tristan's neck. "Thank you thank you thank you! I was so worried that you would never speak to me again, I was worried we wouldn't be friends anymore, all because of a boy." She admitted as she pulled away.

"Don't worry Maya. You can't get rid of me that easy." Tristan replied with a wink, which made her burst into a fit of giggles.

Tristan then checked his watch. "Lunch ends in five. We better get to your locker and then head to class." Tristan announced. "We don't want to be late, and our French partner awaits." He teased.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lets go!" Maya said, grabbing his arm and dragging him along. They raced through the cafeteria, and through the halls until they reached her locker.

She took one look at the lock and groaned. Her combination had slipped her mind again. Why could she never remember it? Would she seriously have to find Marisol for the second time that day.

"We better hurry Maya. Only 3 minutes left." Tristan said anxiously as she continued to stare blankly at her lock.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She reached in and pulled it out, but she also felt something else. A piece of paper? She pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Her combination! Right, Marisol had written it down for her earlier. She quickly input the numbers and opened her locker, grabbing her things, she slammed the door shut and turned to Tristan. "Let's go!"

With that they sprinted towards their French classroom.

"Wow, someone's eager to get to class." Katie commented as Maya blew by her. She didn't have time to stop and reply.

They reached the classroom, and Maya took a deep breath as Tristan entered ahead of her. She had been waiting all day for this moment. She had been fantasising about her next encounter with Campbell Saunders. She hoped it met up to her expectations.

She walked into the classroom, and there he was. Cam was already sitting at her and Tristan's table, ready to start working.

Tristan had already taken his seat on the left side of Cam, so she walked over and took the right side of him. "Hey." She greeted him casually, with a smile.

"Hey Maya." Cam replied with a grin, his chocolate brown eyes lighting up.

Butterflies erupted inside of Maya's stomach, and her breath caught in her throat. His smile, it was so beautiful. Just as beautiful as it had been yesterday, and no doubt just as beautiful as it would be tomorrow. His eyes too. His eyes, had they lit up when he had greeted her? Could he possibly be happy to see her?

The bell tolled and Madame Obere entered the classroom.

"Good afternoon class!" She greeted them all with a smile. "Today you will be working on the French project we started yesterday, and I'm going to let you get right back into it, so find your partners and get to work!" She ordered.

Every scrambled to get into their partners, but Maya, Cam and Tristan already sitting together stayed seated.

"So, I guess we agreed yesterday that I would be doing the writing?" Maya said, pulling a blue pen from her backpack. She then looked at Cam, making direct eye contact. She should have known better.

"I believe we did." Cam replied with a smirk, gazing into Maya's eyes.

His smirk made her melt, and she couldn't pry her eyes away from his. So she was in this position again. How was it that every time she could never manage to look away? It was embarrassing, and she felt the familiar sensation of a blush creeping into her cheeks.

He broke the gaze first, looking down at the table seeming slightly embarrassed himself, although there was no blush in his cheeks to indicate it.

As soon as he looked away, she was released. She felt extremely relieved, she was free to look elsewhere again, although she would be perfectly content to start into his eyes forever.

Forever? Whoa. She'd met him yesterday. Maya was getting way to ahead of herself on this one.

"Maya, why don't you use a pencil? I think it would be safer, that way if we make a mistake, we can just erase." Tristan suddenly said, breaking into her thoughts and bringing her back to the present.

In all honest she had completely forgotten Tristan was even there.

"Oh, um… I only have the pen…" Maya trailed off.

"No worries," Cam interjected hopping up and making his was to the back of the classroom where his stuff was. Maya and Tristan watched. "Here." He called, tossing Maya a pencil from the back of the classroom.

To her own surprise, Maya managed to catch it. Dropping the pen she had been holding and catching the pencil in her right hand.

"Whoa, nice catch." Cam commented, sounding impressed as he returned to their table.

"Thanks," Maya replied, "I honestly have no idea how I managed that. I'm not coordinated, at all." She admitted with a little laugh.

Cam grinned at her again. "So I'm guessing that means you don't play sports or anything like that?" He asked her lightly.

Maya shook her head, "No I don't. I don't enjoy sports either. Well, I like volleyball, it's really the only sport I'm good at. Anything else…" She trailed off.

Cam chuckled. "Hey, I understand. I'm the same way. Hockey is really the only sport I'm good at, anything else…" He trailed off as well with a small shudder.

Maya giggled, "Oh really? Are you sure you're not just being modest?"

"What do you mean?" Cam questioned, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I don't know, you just seem like the type that would be good at anything and everything." Maya explained. Her cheeks flushed once again as she realised the double meaning in her words. "I mean, anything and everything to do with sports!" She quickly blurted out, correcting herself.

His face broke out into a huge smile, making his soft chocolate eyes sparkle. "Really? Wow, thanks. But I'm really not good at anything except for hockey," he paused, "can I tell you a secret?"

Maya nodded eagerly. "Sure."

He leaned in close, right next to her ear so that only Maya would hear. "To tell you the truth, I don't even like hockey all that much.

She froze as his soft voice spoke directly into her ear. He was so close that she could smell him, his scent was wonderful, the smell of sweet body spray and freshly laundered clothes. Nothing like she would expect a hockey player to smell. She breathed deeply, taking it in as he slowly moved back to his original position next to her.

The bell tolled then, signalling the end of class.

"Did you even write anything down Maya?" Tristan asked casually, glancing at the blank sheet of paper in front of her.

Tristan's voice pulled Maya back to reality once again. She had been so lost in Cam's scent and what he had just told her. "Oh! No! I'm sorry, I didn't."

"No worries Maya. We still have the rest of the week. We'll start tomorrow, and if we have to, we can even work on it after school." Cam said with a grin.

"Okay," Maya replied with a huge smile. That sounded perfect to her.

Cam sauntered to the back of the room once again to collect his stuff. When he came back, before he left the room, he approached Maya once again. "So, Maya… You have FaceRange?" Cam inquired curiously.

"Uh, yeah I do." Maya replied, her eyes widening.

"Cool. You should add me. Campbell Saunders." He said, grabbing the pen Maya had forgotten on the table and then grabbing her hand. He turned it over so her palm was up and began to write on it.

Maya's heart beat quickened. His hand was so warm and soft on hers. All she could focus on was the fact that his hand was touching hers. She had no idea what he was writing, and she didn't care. He was practically holding her hand!

"There." He announced in a triumphant tone.

Maya looked down at her hand, slightly confused.

"My name. That's how you spell it." Cam explained, placing the cap back on the pen and handing it back to Maya. "Remember to add me." He told her with a grin as he left the classroom.

Maya looked down at her hand, and sure enough, there it was. His name, written across the palm. _Campbell Saunders._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Hey guys! Big thanks to HopelesslyFictional , Colabear94 , and Kayla Crystal for your reviews! They're always kind and always make my day! (: Also thank you to all of those favouriting/following this story, and to all of those mysterious readers out there who don't leave reviews, but still read none the less! Thank you thank you! Now, this is another loong chapter. The longest one yet, and once again i must apologize if it gets tiresome. I worked hard on this one as well, so i would love it if you were to leave me a lil review and let me know what you think! Any kind of input is always greatly appreciated, and reviews always make me work harder and update quicker! There's quite a bit of drama in this chapter, and there are a lot of different elements, so yeah. Let me know what you think, if you like, what you like/dislike, if there's anything i can change to make this story better, ect. Thank you so much, and i sincerely hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 9 'Stop Being So Selfish.'

Maya couldn't stop looking at the palm of her hand. There it was, written clear as crystal. 'Campbell Saunders.'

"_My name. That's how you spell it. Remember to add me."_

Campbell Saunders had said those words to her, and she couldn't stop replaying the memory in her mind, over and over again. _Remember to add me? How could I possibly forget?_ She thought to herself giddily. She couldn't wait to get home.

"Maya, you coming, or…?" Tristan called to her from the door, pulling her back to the present for the hundredth time that day.

"Oh! Right! Class is over. Oh, shoot! Gym!" Maya exclaimed, feeling flustered as she gathered her belongings and slung her backpack over her right shoulder.

It took all of Maya's strength to remain calm as she exited her French classroom. She did it however, and instead of sprinting out of the room screaming with joy, she walked quickly and with purpose, with a huge grin upon her face.

When she reached the gymnasium, she found Tori and Zig already seated on the bleachers on the far side, waiting for class to start. It was another day in the gymnasium, another day of the week, and ultimately another day of volleyball.

She strolled over to them, the huge grin never leaving her face.

"Hey guys!" Maya greeted, taking a seat on the lower bleacher, and spinning herself around so she was facing Tori and Zig, who were seated on the top bleacher.

"Maya!" Tori exclaimed, a huge grin spreading across her own face. "How'd French class go?" She inquired, curiosity burning in her dark eyes as she awaited Maya's answer.

"French class was good. We worked on our projects The teacher spoke to us in French. You know, same old same old." Maya replied nonchalantly.

"How'd it go with Cam?" Tori probed, trying once more to get the information she was seeking.

"Oh, you know. It was alright." Maya replied, feigning disinterest in the subject of Cam, although her face said otherwise, and all the while she was slowly lifting her hand to scratch the tip of her nose with her thumb, subtly so that her palm was facing out towards Tori.

Tori's dark eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the name written across Maya's palm. "OHMYGOSH! OHMYGOSH! Maya, is that… his name?" Tori exclaimed in surprise, reaching out and snatching Maya's hand in her own so that she could read the writing. "Campbell Saunders! Ohmygosh! Maya, you got his name! His full name! Does this mean what I think it means?"

"What? What does it mean?" Zig chipped in, looking genuinely confused.

This almost made Maya laugh. She had completely forgotten Zig was even there listening to all of this, although she could have sworn she was the type of person that didn't like to discuss these types of things in front of those who would ultimately feel uncomfortable, and even though she was sure this would make Zig feel uncomfortable simply for the fact that he was of the opposite sex, Maya couldn't be bothered to care.

Both girls chose to ignore this question, and pressed on with the subject as though he hadn't uttered a word.

"Yes! Our friendship is about to become FaceRange official!" Maya squealed joyfully, getting up off the bleachers and to her feet.

Tori shrieked, jumping up and leaping into Maya's arms from the top bleacher. The force was to much, not to mention the fact that Maya wasn't expecting it, and it knocked her over, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Tori's shriek echoed throughout the gym, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at the two girls, who were now both lying on the dirty gym floor side by side laughing hysterically.

Zig, who no longer looked confused, but did look slightly scared for his own safety, slowly got to his feet, and chose to back away slowly from the situation.

He chose to back away because he didn't understand why two girls would ever be so excited about adding someone on FaceRange. Then again, he didn't really understand girls at all. They were really complex, and confusing, and he didn't think even the smartest man alive could ever understand them.

He slowly sauntered over to a group of guys on the other side of the gym.

"Hey, what's up with those girls man?" One of the boys asked him.

Zig shrugged, "beats me. I'll never understand them."

"Don't you like hang out with those two everyday though?" The boy asked, trying to say that this fact alone should prove that Zig knew everything about girls and how the female mind worked. This of course wasn't the case at all.

"Yup." Zig replied simply, not going into any further detail. He didn't need to.

"Alright! Let's play some volleyball!"

The bell tolled, signalling the end of another day, and Maya exited the gym with Tori.

"Okay, okay. Remember the rule Maya, when you get home, don't go straight online and add him. I repeat, DO NOT go straight online and add him. That is a major no no!" Tori advised Maya seriously as they walked towards the doors and exited the school.

Outside the sunshine was warm and welcoming after being cooped up indoors all day.

Maya frowned at this piece of advice. "But Toriiiiiii!" She whined loudly.

"No buts! I didn't make the rules Maya. If you add him right away, it's gonna make you look desperate or something. You've gotta play it cool. Wait at least 3 hours before adding him." She told Maya. "Or better yet, wait until _he _adds _you."_

"What until he adds me? But Tor, that could take days!" Maya cried, looking sulky.

"Chill Maya. If he's into, which it kinda seems like he is, he's the once who asked you about FaceRange after all, he'll add you, within the next 24 hours."

"Are you sure? I don't know about this Tori, He told me to remember to add him…" Maya replied uneasily.

Tori just gave Maya a smile, "Maya, I know what I'm talking about. Trust! If you don't add him in the next 3 hours, he'll be waiting, constantly checking his friend requests, eventually, he'll give up the wait, and before tomorrow morning, he'll be adding you."

"Okay Tori," Maya replied uncertainly, "but if I miss out on my chance with him because of this I'm blaming you!"

"Maya Maya Maya, do you have so little faith in me? Have I ever steered you in the wrong direction before?"

Maya thought about this question for a moment, before answering. "No, I guess you haven't."

"Exactly! I'll see you tomorrow. Text me!" Tori said with a wave as she turned down her street.

Maya continued on in the same direction. The walk was quiet now, and Maya enjoyed it. It gave her time to think. To reminisce about how Cam's smile had looked today, and how his eyes had sparkled, and how he had given her his name so that she could add him on FaceRange.

Oh! She was head over heels for this Ice Hound. It seemed so strange, Maya had never in a million years pictured herself liking a jock, let alone someone that was bound to be the next big NHL star.

(She might have looked up Campbell Saunders in the paper to grab that information.)

But yet here she was. Hopelessly into this boy, this boy had so much power over her, he could make her do anything. She would go anywhere for him, and be anyone for him.

Was this what love felt like? Was this love, or was it just another crush? Just another crush that would turn out to be completely meaningless.

Maya remembered over the summer how she had had a crush on Zig when she had first met him. That was just a phase, and had passed quickly enough, for he never showed any interest in her, and what was the point in her wasting her time if he didn't feel the same?

She had never thought she had loved Zig either. He didn't show any interest in her at all in that way, so she certainly couldn't think that she had loved him. But with Cam…

Maya entered the house, dropping her backpack by the front door once again, leaving it there.

She heard the TV blaring in the den, and went to investigate. Of course, it was none other than Katie, stretched out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn balancing on her stomach.

Wait, popcorn? Something was up. Katie rarely ate, and when she did, well, nothing good came out of that. Plus she was almost positive that Katie didn't like popcorn.

Nothing made sense anymore. The TV was so loud that it made thinking impossible.

"Are you deaf?" Maya yelled to her sister over the noise.

"What?" Katie yelled back, grabbing the remote from the coffee table and turning the TV down.

"Well, I guess that answered my question." Maya muttered to herself. "What are you doing home so early?" She added at normal volume so Katie would hear, noting that the time was only 3:40, and that by rights with Katie's extracurricular activities, she should have been home approximately 20 minutes after Maya.

"Jake gave me a ride." Katie replied, smiling fondly and staring out the den window dreamily.

Maya was completely confused. She didn't know any Jake. Katie had never mentioned any Jake. But by the way her sister was smiling, she could sense a crush.

"Jake? Who's Jake?" Maya questioned curiously, wanting to know more.

Katie snapped back to the present, her eyes coming back into focus, and returning her gaze to Maya. "He's just a boy at school. Jake Martin."

"Just a boy at school? Nothing more?" Maya pushed, trying to get more details out of her sister.

Katie's face turned slightly pink. "Well, I mean… I guess if you need a label for it, he would be called a friend."

Maya smirked, "Oh really? Just a friend?" Maya pushed once more. She was going to get the truth out of her sister. She knew Katie had much more than just friendship on her mind.

"Okay, okay!" Katie finally blurted, "I like him! Okay? Is that answer suitable enough for you?"

"I knew it!" Maya cried, with a satisfactory smile upon her face, she finally left the doorway of the den and raced over to sit on the couch next to her sister. "Is he cute? I bet he's cute. What's he like? A jock? A mathlete? A fellow member of the student council? Is he smart?" The questions poured out of Maya, she couldn't help herself. She couldn't remember the last time Katie had taken an interest in a boy, and it was exciting.

"Whoaa! Slow down there chicken little. One question at a time!" Katie laughed, removing the popcorn bowl from her stomach and placing it on the coffee table.

Maya took a deep breath. "Okay. What's he look like?"

Katie looked at Maya with a quizzical expression. "You really don't know what he looks like? I'm sure you've seen him around school."

"Katie, I've only been at Degrassi for two days. I'm not gonna know every face in the hall already." Maya reminded her. "Especially if he's a senior."

"Right. Well, he's got shaggy light brown hair, and green eyes, and he's tall." Katie began, "and trust me he's cute. So, so cute."

Maya giggled, "I don't know that I believe you. Prove it."

Katie stopped to consider this for a moment. "Fine, I will. If you go grab me my laptop. It's on my desk."

"You have pictures of the guy you like on your laptop? That's not creepy at all…" Maya teased lightly, getting to her feet.

"They're not on my laptop stupid! There are pictures of him on FaceRange. I have him as a friend."

The word FaceRange reminded Maya about Cam, and she quickly glanced at the palm of her right hand. His name was still written there. She was surprised Katie hadn't noticed it, or if she had, she was surprised she hadn't said anything.

"Suree." Maya replied in a condescending tone. She then quickly left the den to retrieve Katie's laptop. When she got back to the den her sister had moved from the stretched out position to a sitting position so she could place the computer on her lap.

Maya handed the laptop to her sister, and sat back down next to her. Katie opened it, it was already at the FaceRange home page, and she quickly logged in.

"Right, here. There we go." Katie said, pulling up Jake's profile.

"Wow, he is cute." Maya commented, looking over his profile picture. "So, is he smart, is he a jock? What's up with that?"

"He's so nice Maya. He's not a jock, he's really smart, and we've started to put together plans for a student garden. I think it could turn out really well." Katie gushed.

Maya had been confused when she had come into the den and found her sister eating, and popcorn no less, but now… now it all came together. It all made sense. She liked someone. She had a crush, and this brought out the desire to behave normally. To eat.

"Katie, you're eating." Maya now stated.

"Yeah, I got home and I was starving. The only snack I could find in the cupboard was popcorn. Mom really needs to go shopping." Katie replied, as she reached over to the bowl she had set on the coffee table and scooped up another handful of the greasy buttery treat.

Maya was silent for a moment, but finally felt that she needed to ask, even if it made her sister angry. "Are you gonna throw it up?" She questioned Katie quietly.

Katie's smile faded, and her blue eyes that were previously sparkling with joy were now blazing with anger.

"No." She answered flatly, her eyes shifting away from Maya.

"I know that's a lie Katie." Maya responded loudly. "I always know when you're lying, because when you do you never look me directly in the eye."

"That's not true." Katie replied haughtily, her eyes shifting about the room, still avoiding Maya's gaze.

"Yes it is." Maya replied calmly, although inside she was screaming. "You're doing it right now."

Katie looked back to Maya then. Her bright blue eyes, that had been blazing with anger just a few short seconds ago now were swimming with moisture, and pain. "I'm trying Maya. I'm really trying. It's so hard. But you have to believe I'm trying." Katie insisted, her voice cracking, and thick with emotion.

"I know, but you have to try harder." Maya replied softly, "remember how much effort you put in when you were running for student counsel president last year? I wasn't even at Degrassi yet and that's all I heard you talk about. Ever. If you put that much effort and more into getting better, you could over come this."

"Oh my god. You sound just like mom!" Katie snapped. "Try harder! Do better! Well I'm trying! You don't even know how hard I'm trying!" Katie began, her voice growing louder. "Do you know how much effort I put into just getting out of bed every morning? Sometimes I set my alarm for 5 am, and I stay awake for hours, just trying to pull myself out of bed, no matter how weak I'm feeling! I don't know how the hell I do it, but I manage! Do you know how much effort I put into eating what little amount of food I do? Sometimes it takes me 2 hours just to finish a fucking apple, an apple!" She screamed hysterically, "because the entire time all I can think of is how much of this is going to be turned into fat! An apple Maya! Even a healthy food product gives me doubts! Do you know how much effort I put into keeping that small portion of food down in my stomach? It takes a lot not to throw it all up 30 seconds after I've swallowed it all, and sure sometimes I cave, and 5 minutes later end up throwing It all up anyway, but I try! I fucking try!"

Maya was completely taken aback by her sisters sudden outburst, and the language she was using. She hadn't been expecting that at all. But with each sentence that came out of Katie's mouth, Maya felt angrier, and angrier. Once again, Katie had turned this into an 'all about me' show. Sure, maybe it wasn't intentional, and maybe her sister didn't realise that she did this all the time, but she did, and Maya was sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. Didn't Katie ever think of anyone but herself? Did she ever think about what her illness was doing to her family as well?

Katie paused, taking a deep breath. "Do you have any idea, how much effort it takes just to keep myself alive, every single day?" She asked Maya, tears silently falling down her pale cheeks.

Maya was done. Completely done. The twig in her brain had been threatening to snap for a long time, and this was it. She had finally cracked.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH EFFORT IT TAKES FOR ME TO KEEP YOU ALIVE EVERY SINGLE DAY?" Maya shrieked. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH EFFORT IT TAKES FOR MOM TO KEEP YOU ALIVE EVERY SINGLE DAY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME I'VE SPENT WATCHING OVER YOU, TRYING TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF ANYMORE, WHEN IT WAS USELESS THE WHOLE TIME, BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS MANAGED TO FIND SOMEWAY TO DO IT ONCE I'D GONE TO BED, OR ONCE I NEEDED TO LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR A FEW MINUTES? DO YOU REALISE ALL OF THE TIME I SPENT WATCHING OVER YOU I COULD HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING I ACTUALLY WANTED OR NEEDED TO BE DOING WITH MY OWN LIFE? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE ALMOST LET THIS SECRET SLIP TO MY FRIENDS AT SCHOOL? DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN. DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH IT EATS AWAY AT A PERSON? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS SEEING YOU'RE OLDER SISTER SLOWLY BEING TORN AWAY FROM THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID ILLNESS?"

It was silent for a few moments then. Maya's voice seemed to ring out in the empty space for a seemingly long time. Katie was still crying silently, the tears cascading down her cheeks as she continued to look at her sister's face.

Maya's heart was racing, to the point that it felt as if it might explode. It took her a few moments to calm herself down, but when she did, she spoke again.

"Did you ever stop to consider that this illness affects a whole lot more people than just you?" She inquired her sister in a whisper that was barely audible. "It's been affecting this entire family. You need to realize these things Katie, and stop being so selfish."

With that, Maya got up and stomped out of the house, slamming the front door behind her.

The outside air was cool and welcoming against her hot skin. She had needed to get out of that house, and away from her sister. Funny how their conversation had started out so innocently about a boy Katie was interested in, and had then escalated to that.

Maya wondered idly where she should go. She didn't want to go back inside to soon. She began pacing back and forth in front of her house, not quite knowing what to do. She felt the anger bubbling up inside her once again as she kept thinking about her and Katie's fight, so she decided it would be best if her thoughts moved on to something else.

Finally it hit her, she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to go back in, grab her own laptop and add Campbell Saunders on FaceRange, but she couldn't do that either. Tori had advised her against that.

She hoped Tori was right, and she hoped that Cam would be the one adding her before the day was done. Maya decided to take a quick walk around the block before proceeding to go back inside. She needed a bit more time to cool off, and the weather was perfect for it. As she reached the end of her street, and turned the corner, she walked directly into someone.

"Oomph!" She cried as she went staggering backwards and ultimately fell, hit the concrete sidewalk with a soft thud.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry!" A soft voice cried.

She was now sitting on the sidewalk, with a sharp pain shooting up her tailbone. She had a feeling that was going to bruise. A hand appeared in front of her face and she looked up, to see none other than Cam standing in front of her, offering his aid.

"Cam?" She said somewhat stupidly, not sure if she should believe what she was seeing.

"Maya! I'm really sorry. I didn't see you." He said, his hand still outstretched.

She grabbed it gratefully and he helped her to her feet. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's really my fault, I should have been watching where I was going." She insisted.

Cam chuckled, "if you say so."

"So, what brings you to this part of town?" She questioned. It was after she said it that she realised how completely stupid it sounded. She had no idea where he lived, and for all she knew he could have been her next door neighbour.

"Oh, I live around here." He replied, "in the house right over there actually." He told her, pointing to the house at the end of the street. "What about you?"

"I live around here to! On the street that I just came off of. Like the fifth house down." She responded, somewhat excitedly. She had no idea he had lived so close.

"Cool." Cam responded with his signature smile, a smile that always made Maya's heart melt.

"Yeah, I just needed some time out of the house. My sister was driving me crazy!" Maya explained.

"You have a sister?" He asked curiously.

"You mean, you didn't know that? I'm pretty sure Madame Obere mentioned it yesterday in French class." She replied with a little laugh.

"No, I sorta pictured you as an only child, and if Madame Obere mentioned it that would explain why I didn't know. I can never really understand what she's saying. You know, with the French accent and all." He replied, with a lopsided smirk.

God he was so cute!

Maya laughed hysterically at this, but when she caught sight of Cam's expression, she stopped abruptly, realising that what he had said he probably hadn't meant it to be funny, if in fact it had been funny at all.

Silence enveloped the two as they stood on the street corner somewhat awkwardly in each others presence.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Maya finally said, shattering the silence.

"Yeah…Yeah." Cam responded, looking away, seeming slightly embarrassed.

He was shy, but that was okay, Maya could manage. He would get past it eventually, and be totally comfortable with her, right?

She had turned around and was about to walk back down her street when Cam called out to her. "Hey, Maya?"

She turned back to him. "Yeah?"

"I added you on FaceRange by the way. Make sure to accept the request. Okay?" He told her with a grin, before turning away and making his way back to his own house.

Maya's heart soared, and her face broke out in an enormous smile. Cam had added her, and he hadn't even waited three hours! This was a definite good sign. It couldn't be more than 5:30 in the evening.

Maya raced back home, now feeling as though she was walking on air. Cam had put her in an amazing mood.

She was going to go home, make amends with Katie, add Cam on FaceRange, and then call Tori.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Big thank you's to the reviewers : Kayla Crystal , Jonie Allie , and HopelesslyFictional ! Your reviews honestly always make my day! (: Also big thanks to all of those simply reading, favouriting, and following this story! Now, this chapter is considerably shorter than the last, but i did spend a lot more time editing it than i normally would, so i think it's written a bit better than some previous chapters that had next to no editing because i simply didn't have time :P. Also, there is not really any Cam in this chapter, there's a few mentions of him, but this chapter is pretty much just a Maya/Katie chapter. Not to worry though lovelies! We'll get this story back to Camaya in chapter 11, i promise! Also did any of ya'll see the new episode tonight? I have to admit, i feel like Maya is being slightly disrespectful to Cam's memory by doing what she's doing, and i'm not sure that i like the new her... Also any parts that had 'Zaya' ... YUCK. I know i have to write some more Zaya in this story eventually, because Zig does like Maya, but i'm really not looking forward to doing it, it was hard enough writing them in the one chapter i did, and i'm honestly putting it off as long as possible. Anyway, i think this authors note has become lengthy enough! I hope you enjoy, and remember to leave me a lil review with your input! Reviews always make my day, and also inspire me to work more quickly on posting a new chapter. Again thanks so much! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 10- Regrets

Maya burst through her front door, breathless. It had taken her less than 4 minutes to get back home, a personal best. Maybe she ought to try out for the track team this year.

She was in the process of sprinting to her bedroom, (which was located at the very back of the house) to grab her laptop, when she came to the sudden realisation that the house was quiet. Unusually quiet. The television that was usually blaring in the den whenever Katie was in there and watching was silent.

Maya froze. Something was wrong. She was only a few feet away from her bedroom door, and FaceRange was calling out to her, _Cam_ was calling out to her, but she had that feeling, that very uneasy feeling that one gets in the pit of their stomach when something is not right. Whatever this was, whatever was going on was much more important. FaceRange and Cam would have to wait.

She spun herself around and quickly backtracked to the front of the house. She poked her head into the den, and found it still, and silent, the television turned off. This was an extremely rare occurrence, especially when Katie was in the house. The large bowl that had been set on the coffee table and that had been filled with popcorn previous to the sisters argument now sat empty, and there was a half empty glass of water sitting next to it as well.

She sauntered further into the room and examined Katie's laptop, which had been left sitting open on the center sofa cushion. It had gone into sleep mode, and Maya shook the mouse pad lightly to awaken it, only to discover it was still on Jake Martin's FaceRange page. Nothing new there.

Maya frowned. "Katie?" She called out loudly, glancing around the room. There was no response. Complete and utter silence. Not a noise was heard, with the exception of the ticking of the clock placed on the den wall.

"Katie?" Maya called once more, her voice a little louder as she made her way to the kitchen. Katie wasn't in here either, and nothing seemed out of place. Maybe she had left the house? But where would she have gone? To Marisol's? Or perhaps to that boy Jake's?

"Katie!" Maya tried again, feeling slightly frustrated as she ventured down the hall and towards her sister's bedroom. The one place she hadn't checked yet. It was during this little excursion towards Katie's bedroom that she noticed something that she had completely failed to notice before. The bathroom door, which was always left open when unoccupied in the Matlin household, was shut.

It should have been obvious, and it was something that should have clicked instantly, but it hadn't. It was something that Maya should have noticed the first time she had sprinted down this hall towards her own room, but of course, she had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Cam and FaceRange, that she had failed to realise it.

She backed up a smidge and took a peek at the small crack separating the bottom of the door from the carpet, and found that the light was on in the bathroom. Katie had to be in there, there was no other logical explanation.

Now, in a normal household, the bathroom door being closed simply meant that the bathroom was occupied, and that someone was doing their 'business'. However, the Matlin household was far from normal, and the bathroom door closed, plus a missing Katie could only mean one thing.

Of course, Maya couldn't be entirely sure, after all, after the big argument they had just had, she would hope that her sister wouldn't be pulling this little act again so soon, and she didn't want to burst in on her, just in case.

Seeing your older sister on the toilet is not really something one wants, or should ever have to see in their lifetime.

So instead of bursting in, she simply leaned her ear against the door, and listened intently. She listened for any source of sound, and most importantly for the distinct sound of her sister making herself sick.

For the first few seconds, she heard what merely sounded like quiet sobs. But then, there it was. The unmistakeable sound of retching, and gagging.

A sound that Maya had grown accustomed to, and one that she hated with a passion. The sound that terrified her every time she heard it, no matter how many times she heard it. It was the sound of her sister slowly killing herself.

Maya grasped the doorknob tightly in her right hand, turned it, and flung the bathroom door open. It hit the wall with a loud bang, and the sight that met Maya's eyes was one that she had witnessed a million times before, but yet, it still had the same effect. The same effect as the sound did. It made her absolutely sick herself to see, and it terrified her still.

Katie didn't even flinch at the sound of the door hitting the wall. She was doubled over the toilet bowl, the seat up, her fingers lodged down her throat, and she was being violently sick. She was forcing herself to be violently sick.

Her heart pounding in her chest, and her blood boiling in her veins, Maya took three large steps towards Katie, and grabbed her sisters arm roughly. The arm that coincidently had had the fingers lodged down her throat, forcing her fingers out and forcing Katie to stop. She grasped Katie's other arm in her other hand as well, and with all the strength Maya had in her, she threw her sister back against the tiled bathroom wall with a crash. She pinned her down there, never letting go over her sister's wrists.

Maya couldn't comprehend how angry she was once again. Just a few moments ago she had been overjoyed, walking on air thanks to Campbell Saunders, and now, here she was. An angry emotional mess, all because of Katie. Had they not just had a huge fight over Katie's illness? Had they not just discussed this?

Katie looked into her sister's eyes guiltily. They resembled cold, hard blue marbles. Maya was pissed, Katie could understand that, but what did she expect? She had left her alone and upset after all. What else could she do? This was what she did. When she was upset, when she was stressed, when she felt like she had consumed to much food. This was the answer. The only answer she had ever known, the only answer that was ever good enough.

As soon as Maya had left the house, Katie had been an emotional wreck. She had immediately scarfed down the rest of the popcorn that had been left in the large bowl in the den. Then, feeling disgusted with herself, she had gone to retrieve the package she had used to cook it in, which was still sitting on the very top in the kitchen trashcan. She read over the nutrition facts, and feeling even more disgusted with herself, she had made a beeline for the bathroom, her hand over her mouth.

"Katie," Maya began, her voice shaking with anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"What does it look like." Katie replied icily, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"What did we just talk about?!" Maya shouted furiously, her face turning a bright shade of magenta. "Did we not just have this discussion? Did I not just tell you to stop being so goddamn selfish!"

This was the first time Maya had ever used such language, but she didn't regret it. She needed to get her point across. Apparently everything she had said before had had no effect on her sister whatsoever.

"Well, you made me so upset! What did you expect? To come home and find me cheerily making dinner for the family and whistling show tunes?" Katie shouted back defensively, the tears still pouring out of her eyes and down her pale cheeks.

Maya stopped. It was as though the world had stopped turning. She had no words. She had been shocked into silence. Her sister was absolutely right of course.

Maya hadn't meant to snap earlier, but she had. You had to be patient, and understanding with Katie. You had to help her, and you had to try, and you had to struggle. Every single day had been a struggle since this whole thing had developed, and she had never lost it on her sister before, but she had today, and she was slowly losing it again now.

Maya took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and regain control. Her being angry and upset would just make Katie angry and upset, and that would make the situation even worse.

This was the main reason that it seemed the world had stopped, and the reason she had stopped, lost for words. It was because Maya had completely forgotten that Katie's illness, though often triggered on it's own by the amount of food Katie consumed or the amount of calories, was often also triggered by stress. She must never allow herself to forget again. Never.

Maya felt terrible. She shouldn't be screaming at her sister. She shouldn't be telling her sister to stop being so selfish. For it had finally dawned on her, Maya was the one who was being selfish. She was the one who needed to stop.

She always blamed it all on Katie. It was always all about Katie, everyone always worried about Katie. But, Maya needed to remember, it wasn't because Katie wanted it to be all about her, it was because it _needed _to be all about her. If it wasn't, she would die.

"Katie… I…" Maya began softly, trailing off, her anger fading away completely. Her face returned to its normal shade, and she slackened the grip she had on Katie's wrists, slowly removing her hands from her sister, freeing her.

Katie didn't say anything in return, she merely lifted her arms to examine her wrists. There were red marks around each of them where Maya had been holding her, and a few tiny but noticeable cuts from where Maya's nails had dug into her, breaking the skin. "Great Maya. Just great. The last thing I need right now is for mom or anyone else to think I'm self harming." She said irritably, sniffing and wiping away the tears trailing down her cheeks with her now free hands.

"I'm so sorry Katie." Maya whispered, looking down at the ground. The guilt of how she had behaved earlier, was now eating her alive. She regretted everything she had said to her sister terribly. Katie could have done so much more than just make herself sick. What she had said to her sister could have been the difference between life and death for her, if she had chosen to do anything more drastic. Maya had made it completely clear that her illness was ruining the whole family. Katie could have very easily taken it to heart. She could have done something irreversible.

Maya's own eyes filled with tears at this thought, and she raised a hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs that were threatening to escape her lips.

"Aw, chicken little. I can't stay mad at you." Katie replied softly, pulling her sister into a warm embrace.

Maya hugged her sister back tightly. "I didn't mean to say all of those awful things earlier Katie! I didn't mean to make you feel bad about yourself, I just lost control, I was angry and I didn't mean it! You could have really hurt yourself and it would have been all my fault!" Maya said quickly, though the words were slightly muffled by Katie's shoulder.

"It's okay Maya. I forgive you." Katie replied, "really I do. I understand you were just angry, and frustrated. To be honest, I am to. I'm tired of living like this. I'm tired of this being the only answer. When something goes wrong, I make myself sick, when I'm upset or stressed, I make myself sick. When I've eaten, I make myself sick. I want to be done. I want it to be over."

Maya pulled away from her sister slowly. "You mean, you really want to get better?"

Katie laughed softly. "Maya, I've always wanted to get better. You and mom are right, I just need to try harder. Way harder."

Maya gave her sister a watery smile, "I'm glad."

Suddenly, the two girls heard the unmistakeable sound of keys in the lock and the front door being opened.

"Girls? I'm home, and I brought dinner!" Mrs. Matlin called.

"Coming mom!" Maya called, giving Katie another small smile before racing out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen.

Katie remained in the bathroom however, and slowly made her way over to the bathroom mirror to take a look at her reflection.

She certainly looked sick. Sicker than she had previously. She was noticeably thinner, particularly in the middle, and she had dropped at least one pant size. She also looked ghostly pale. She shuddered at her appearance. She needed to get better, and more than that, with all of her heart, she wanted to. She wanted to be a normal teenager again. She wanted to worry about nothing but school, and friends, and boys. She didn't want everyday to be as much as a struggle as it had been so far. She was going to talk to her mom and Maya about her options, for she was going to need more help than just the two of them, and she accepted that.

"Awh yes!"

Katie heard Maya exclaim from the kitchen.

"Katie! Katie, Mom brought KFC! Get your butt down here!" Maya called to her sister.

Katie smiled at the way Maya had called her, and her reflection smiled back. It was an odd thing to see, but she sort of liked it. She then quickly walked over to the toilet bowl and flushed the remains in it down. This was it, from now on things were going to change.

She then sauntered out of the bathroom, and down to the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hey guys! Big thanks once again to HopelesslyFictional , Kayla Crystal , and Islanda for your kind reviews! Also big thanks to everyone who continues to read, favourite and follow this story! It means a lot! Who watched the finale on Friday? It was intense. Maya's big freak out scene where she admits how sad she is that Cam left her by killing himself actually made me cry. Anyway, this chapter again has a few Cam moments, but he's not technically in the chapter. I hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as i've enjoyed writing it. As there hasn't been too many Camaya moments yet, some of you may be getting slightly impatient, or anxious for more chapters on the couple themselves. Ya'll don't need to worry though, this story is not even close to being over, and there are still many moments to come. There's just so many elements to this story, it's sort of like an episode. You don't always see the characters you desperatly want to see, and when you do see them and their stories sometimes it's only for a short while. Please remember to leave me a lil review! Reviews make me happy, and if you leave me one i'll give you a cookie. (Yes, i've resorted to bribery now.) Hope you enjoy! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I don not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 11 - Friend Request's Confirmed. Someone's Got a Crush!

Maya wolfed down her dinner as quickly as humanly possible. Even though she loved KFC, she couldn't be bothered with actually tasting it today. Her confrontations with Katie had taken up most of her valuable Cam time that evening, so she was eager to log into FaceRange after dinner and finally confirm their friendship. Not that she wasn't glad for the confrontations with her older sister in a way, because of them, Katie was going to try harder, and she was going to get better.

During the course of the very short dinner that the Matlin family shared, Katie had brought up the fact that she would not be able to do it alone, and that she would need help. Help from the entire family, and most importantly help from a professional. She was obviously very serious about defeating this illness and getting better, and Maya couldn't have been more glad.

Maya threw her last chicken bone down carelessly onto her paper plate, and stood, her cheeks bulging. "I'm done. May I be excused?" She inquired her mother with her mouth so full that the words were garbled and tricky to understand.

Thankfully though, this is something all mothers are extremely gifted in. Understanding their children when no one else can, or when it seems nearly impossible. For example, when one is speaking and yawning simultaneously. You might think one would not be able to decipher what the other one yawning is truly saying, but this, most definitely, is not the case with mothers.

"I suppose." Mrs. Matlin replied with a little laugh, "what's your hurry dear?"

Maya swallowed the rest of her dinner before answering. "Oh, nothing really. Just have a lot of homework that I need to be catching up on." She told her mother, waving her hand as she spoke. As if waving away the matter, and the question entirely, as though it had not been an important one.

Katie, who was seated across the table from Maya, and who was picking away at her second piece of chicken rather slowly, (though you had to give her credit for trying) looked up at Maya suspiciously. "It's only the second day back Maya." She stated, her blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What's the deal?"

"Nothing." Maya insisted in a high pitched voice, one that was at least an octave higher than her regular tone. This of course was a dead give away that she wasn't being truthful.

Katie studied Maya for a few moments, the kitchen completely silent. Maya looked to Katie, then feeling uncomfortable by her sister's stare, she shifted her gaze to her mother, which wasn't much better. Mrs. Matlin was also studying her daughter, curiosity blazing in her own blue irises.

"You're lying." Katie finally said, calling Maya's bluff.

It was silent for a few more moments, and then;

"Okay, fine!" Maya finally exclaimed, cracking under the pressure, and sitting back down. "I need to check my FaceRange."

Katie laughed loudly, "Maya, FaceRange will always be around. It's not like it's gonna go away in the amount of time that it takes you to eat a meal. What's the rush?"

"Nothing." Maya insisted once again.

It didn't matter how hard Katie studied her this time, or how uncomfortable Maya felt. She would not tell her mother or her sister about Cam. This was something that she could not do, not yet. She was definitely not ready, simply for the fact that she knew teasing and utter embarrassment would follow. She had never really liked a boy before, unless you counted Zig back during the summer, and no one had known about that. No one ever would know about that either. She was past it now, obviously.

"Maya." Katie said in an exasperated tone.

All the while, Mrs. Matlin was watching her two daughters curiously, just waiting for events to unfold. Waiting to get some sort of insight into their lives. She wasn't home often, especially as of late, and it was getting increasingly difficult to keep up with both of her girls lives.

"It's none of your business!" Maya snapped at her sister, picking up her plate and walking over to the trash bin to toss it. "I'll be in my room." She added, walking quickly out of the kitchen, using every ounce of willpower within her not to sprint to her bedroom.

Katie and Mrs. Matlin exchanged looks, before shaking off Maya's strange behaviour and resuming the previous dinner conversation about getting Katie the help that she needed.

Once Maya arrived in her bedroom she grabbed her laptop from her desk and placed it on her bed, sprawling out upon the bedspread on her stomach, she powered the computer on and pulled up the FaceRange home page. She logged into the site, and immediately found that the little friend requests icon was lit up. She clicked on it, opening the little window, and found the usual friend request format, but to her surprise there was more than just one.

The first request said 'Campbell Saunders would like to be your friend.' Followed by the usual 'confirm' or 'ignore' buttons. This was the request that Maya had been expecting, and the request that she had been dying to confirm ever since she had first arrived home.

The next request however was the one that caught Maya off guard.

'Zig Novak would like to be your friend.'

Maya couldn't explain why, but she felt uneasy about this. Zig and her had been friends for approximately 3 months already, and he had never bothered to take the time out of his day to add her on FaceRange before. So, what had changed? Why the sudden request?

Of course, most people would just simply click accept and be done with it, but Maya couldn't. She stared at the tiny request in the tiny window, trying with all of her might to make sense of it.

Maybe she was being silly. It was just a friend request after all. No big deal, right? It didn't mean anything out of the ordinary. So, why did Maya have the feeling that it did?

Zig had mentioned to Maya yesterday that he wanted to talk to her about something on their walk home, and she had brushed him off, to concerned with her own problems, and not wanting to have to try and deal with anyone else's. Had he been trying to discuss something important? Maybe involving… feelings?

No, she was being silly. This did not mean anything. Nothing at all. Her intuition about this had to be completely wrong, because she liked Cam, and Tori liked Zig, and Zig liked… Well, Maya wasn't exactly sure who Zig liked, but she knew one thing, it was not her.

She accepted both of the boys requests without giving it another thought, and then pulled up Cam's profile page. From here, the creeping ensued, and she checked out all of his pics, information, family listed, and so on and so forth.

She felt like a complete stalker, but hey, this was what FaceRange was for. Right? The only place on the web, or even on earth where stalking is a common, acceptable thing.

Maya was busy swooning over one of Cam's cuter pics when she heard a small cough come from directly behind her.

Startled, she slammed her laptop shut and sat up, spinning around to face her doorway, where she saw Katie, looking quite comfortable leaning against the door frame.

"Campbell Saunders, hmmm?" Katie said loudly, sounding amused, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Katie!" Maya exclaimed, "how long have you been-" she began, but was cut off.

"Long enough. I've been silently watching ever since you accepted the friend requests." Katie replied with a small smirk.

Maya's face grew hot, and she knew it must have been a very bright shade of red.

Katie crossed over to the bed and sat down next to Maya. "Aw, chicken little! You've got a crush!" Katie exclaimed excitedly, poking and prodding her sister's arms and stomach.

So, the teasing had begun. This was the reason Maya had not wanted to say anything. She flinched away from her sister. "Cut it out." She mumbled, shifting over on the bed, creating more space between them.

"Don't worry, I won't tell mom." Katie reassured her, quitting with the poking.

Somehow, Maya didn't believe her sister. She was sure that before the night was through her mother would know about her crush as well.

"So, what's he like?" Katie questioned.

Deep down inside, Maya had been dying to gush about Cam to someone other than Tori, even though Tori was great and always responded enthusiastically. Even though she had been dreading her sister and mom finding out about her crush because of the teasing that would follow, in a way she was sort of glad that Katie now knew. If that made any sense in the slightest.

Maya's face broke out into a smile, and she felt her face cool from it's red hot temperature. "Katie, he's so so cute, and he's the sweetest guy you will ever meet!" Maya began, "you wouldn't expect him to be though, considering he's a jock." She gushed.

Katie raised an eyebrow at this revelation. "A jock? Really? I never expected you to go for a jock Maya. I didn't think the sporty ones were your type."

"Well, normally they're not." Maya replied honestly, "but he's different Katie! There's something about him."

"So, what does he play?" Katie asked, smiling at the way Maya was gushing about this guy. She remembered her first major crush, and how exciting it had been. She remembered talking with their mom all night about him. Now crushes were old news to her, and they weren't nearly as exciting as they had once been.

"Hockey, for the Toronto Ice Hounds actually." Maya told her sister. "They say he's going to be the next big NHL star."

Katie's smile disappeared instantaneously, as the name and the information she was just given clicked. It was as though a light bulb had went off in her brain. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "Campbell Saunders!" Katie yelled, jumping up off Maya's bed.

"Shh!" Maya shushed her sister, jumping up as well, and placing a finger to her lips. "Not so loud! I don't want mom to know, not yet!" She whispered, walking over to her bedroom door and gently closing it.

"THE Campbell Saunders? I knew the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it! I read about him in the local paper the other day!" Katie hissed.

"Yeah, so?" Maya questioned, giving her sister what can only be described as the "What about it? Who cares?" Look.

Katie stared at Maya, as if she was missing something extremely obvious. "Look, you can crush on him all you want Maya, but you will never get a date with him, and you will never 'date' or 'go steady' with him. Do you understand me?" She told Maya fiercely.

Maya felt anger flare up inside of her. "Excuse me?" she replied in utter disbelief.

"You heard what I said." Katie retorted.

"How do you know I'll never get a date with him? You don't know that!" Maya exclaimed, feeling slightly hurt by her sisters words. "You never know! He might be interested if…" She trailed off. She didn't know how to finish that sentence. He might be interested if… what? If she was actually pretty? If she was interesting? If she wasn't a band geek who spent all of her free time practicing the cello?

Katie laughed, but it wasn't a happy, or amused laugh. It sounded harsh. "Oh, believe me! It's not the fact that he might not be interested in you! Who wouldn't be? You're gorgeous and funny, and talented, and you have an amazing personality. Any guy, especially him would be crazy if he wasn't interested in you."

"Oh… then, what did you mean by what you said?" Maya inquired, feeling very confused indeed.

"You won't date him in the future, because I won't allow it!" Katie nearly shouted, pointing at Maya for emphasis.

Maya scoffed. "You can't control who I date Katie! It's not up to you."

"Those hockey guys are bad news!" Katie exclaimed.

"You just don't want me to be happy." Maya stated flatly.

"Girls, aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves here? Isn't this boy just Maya's crush? I highly doubt things will get to serious anytime soon."

Katie and Maya had both been so caught up in their heated argument that they had failed to notice Maya's bedroom door opening and Mrs. Matlin stepping inside.

"Mom! How long have you been there?" Maya cried, feeling her face flush with embarrassment for the umpteenth time that day.

"Not very long, 20 seconds at the most. But you girls did seem to forget that these walls are paper thin." Mrs. Matlin replied with a smile.

"You're right mom. I am getting a little ahead of myself. I just don't want some hockey jerk hurting her." Katie said, looking at Maya. "She's my baby sister! Plus, she seems so fragile."

"Cam's different than the others. Like I already told you Katie! He told me he doesn't even like hockey." Maya argued.

Mrs. Matlin's laugh filled the room, pulling the girls out of their argument once more. "Alright girls, that's enough of this Cam talk. Boys is one subject I would rather not hear about anymore. Save that kind of talk for when I'm not around."

"Sorry mom." Katie and Maya replied in unison.

"It's getting late, and I'm going to bed. So keep it quiet, please." Mrs. Matlin said politely. "Goodnight girls. Sleep well." She said before departing.

"Goodnight mom." Maya and Katie replied in unison once more.

"You're not going out with him. Not as long as I have breath in my body, and believe me, I intend there to be, for a long, long time." Katie told Maya, in a tone of voice that closed the matter. She then walked out of Maya's bedroom.

"We'll see." Maya muttered to herself. She then began her bedtime routine, already feeling excited and looking forward to another day at school. For the soul reason that _he _would be there.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Hey guys! (: Big thanks to HopelesslyFictional , hlskroc , guest , Onedirection2013 , Islanda , Kayla Crystal , and becca for all of your kind reviews on the previous chapter! You all receive a cookie! :p. They all meant so much to me, so thank you thank you thank you! Also as always big thanks to everyone who continues to read, and add this story to their favourites and/or alerts! (: So, this chapter once again has lots of talk about Cam, but no actual Cam. *Sadface* Please do not worry though, and do not give up on this fic! For I can promise you that every single chapter after this one, will have Cam in it. Every single one. Also every chapter after this will have Camaya moments! I can tell you that I've already written chapter 13, and will be posting it very soon, and in chapter 13, Cam and Maya's relationship will start to become more defined. As I've said many times before I love reviews, they make me feel great, and constructive criticism is also always welcome. Just shoot me a quick review and let me know what you're thinking of this fic, pretty please? (: Reviews also tend to inspire quicker updates, so keep that in mind! (: Anyways, that's enough of my rambling. Here's chapter 12! Enjoy! xx**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters. _**

Chapter 12- The Condition

The next morning, Maya awoke an hour before her alarm had even gone off, simply to excited to sleep any longer. Today was a Friday, (as the first day back at school had fallen on a Wednesday. It was still a mystery to Maya, and most likely many others as to why the first day back after summer vacation always seemed to fall in the middle of the week) and she felt a bit sad, for on the weekend she would not have an excuse to see or talk to Campbell.

But then, she began to wonder if she even needed an excuse. Why on earth couldn't she see or talk to him outside of French class, as well as in it? She really liked him, so why not go for it? Take a chance, ask him to hang out sometime.

Maya crawled out of bed and sauntered into the bathroom, beginning her usual morning routine. She was simply going through the motions, and all the while her thoughts were choking on Campbell Saunders. Her mind playing out all of the possible scenarios. Thinking about how she would ask him to hang out, and how he would respond.

Now, most of these scenarios turned out to be very positive indeed, but there were a few however that did take a darker turn, and she tried very hard not to focus on those ones. Although they were few and far between, they were still a realistic possibility. Maya had learned at a very young age that life wasn't always all sunshine and rainbows, and things didn't always work out the way that you wanted them to.

All she could do was hope for the best, and this was precisely what she was doing as she left the house with Katie that morning.

The sisters began their long journey to school, walking side by side in complete silence, both of their minds still clearly still on the argument they had had about Cam the night before. There was an awkward air between the two, and neither seemed sure whether to strike up a brand new conversation this morning, or to continue the argument that their mother had put a sudden stop to last night.

Once they had nearly reached the high school, Maya, having had enough of the awkward silence, finally decided to combine the two subjects, and speak up.

"I'm going to ask Cam to hang out sometime." Maya told Katie cheerfully, as they climbed the front steps towards the doors.

"Maya, no. I already told you yesterday. It's not happening." Katie replied, shooting a death glare in Maya's direction.

"And I already told you yesterday that he's different than all of those other hockey jerks!" Maya argued. "If you met him, you would see!" She insisted, as the two entered the halls of Degrassi Community School.

They stopped just inside the entrance doors, and Katie turned to face Maya. "Alright. Fine. Ask him to hang out, and if he happens to say yes, you bring him to meet me first. Got it?"

Behind the lenses of her glasses, Maya's eyes widened. "Really?" She questioned excitedly.

Katie sighed, "yes."

"Awesome!" Maya squealed happily, giving a tiny jump for joy and fist bumping the air.

"But," Katie added, holding up a finger in a 'wait one moment' gesture, "there's one condition."

"What is it?" Maya inquired irritably, her cheerfulness fading.

"You can't actually go out with him, unless I approve." Katie finished.

"Seriously?" Maya groaned.

"Does this look like the face of someone who's joking?" Katie asked, gesturing to the very serious expression upon her face.

"No." Maya replied, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly. Now get your butt to class." Katie ordered, "or you'll be late again." She then turned on her heel and headed off in the opposite direction, towards her own classroom.

Before Maya had had a chance to move so much as an inch though, Tori appeared quite literally out of nowhere, grabbing Maya's hand.

"Let's go Maya! Don't want to be late!" Tori exclaimed nervously.

"Save it Tor, I already got the late for class lecture." Maya replied as she was being pulled along roughly. "Actually, it wasn't so much a lecture as an order. I mean, Katie ordered me to get to class, because if I didn't I was gonna be late and-"

"Maya!" Tori exclaimed, cutting her off as they entered the classroom and took their usual seats. "I get it, but that's not what I want to be hearing about right now! How'd things go with Campbell? And FaceRange?" You never called me with any updates!" Tori said, pouting.

This was what Maya had been forgetting. As she had turned out the light last night and snuggled into bed beneath the covers, she had had that feeling. The strange feeling that she was forgetting something important. This was it. She had forgotten to call Tori. She had completely forgotten to let her best friend know what was going on.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Tor! I meant to call you, I really did, but it just totally slipped my mind! Things got pretty crazy at my house last night."

Tori gave Maya a small smile, "it's all good, just tell me what happened! Did he add you?" Tori questioned, curiosity positively blazing in her dark eyes. "I've been dying to know!"

"He did!" Maya replied, nodding enthusiastically. "I actually ran into him last night!"

"Really? Where?"

"I went out for a walk to clear my head, and literally walked right into him on the street corner." Maya explained, "which, was extremely embarrassing, considering I ended up falling directly on my butt."

"ooh." Tori interjected, giving Maya a sympathetic look.

"But, he did help me up. All gentlemanly!" Maya added cheerfully.

"Oooh! That's adorable!" Tori squealed, a smile spreading across her face.

"I know!" Maya agreed, smiling widely back. "He actually lives super close to me, and I had absolutely no idea until yesterday."

"That settles it!" Tori exclaimed without missing a beat. "It's destiny! You and Campbell Saunders are meant to be, don't ignore the signs Maya! He added you!"

"Well…" Maya began, "I was thinking about asking him to hang out sometime. You know, get to know him better…"

"Sounds absolutely perf!" Tori replied enthusiastically, nodding her head vigorously. "Just think, if all goes well, I'll be thinking of cutesy couple names for you two!"

Maya looked towards Tori, a blank expression upon her face.

Tori sighed, "You know! Where you merge two names to make one? Like all of the hottest celeb couples." She explained.

Maya gave her best friend a sceptical look. "Tor, give me one example of a celeb couple with merged names."

"That's easy!" Tori scoffed, "Bradgelina."

"mhmm." Maya replied sounding amused, "and which two celebrities is that?" She inquired.

"Hellooooo?" Tori exclaimed in disbelief. "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie!"

Maya grinned, "are you sure you didn't just make that one up on your own?"

"No I didn't make that up on my own!" Tori exclaimed, seeming slightly aggravated. "You really need to start watching the entertainment news."

"I'm sorry, I have more important things to do with my time than catch up on celebrity gossip and watch stupid reality TV shows."

Tori rolled her eyes in response, "whatever."

"Anyways, there is one downside to asking Cam to hang out." Maya said, backtracking to where they were before the conversation had taken a turn towards celebrity couples.

"What's that?" Tori questioned.

"He might say no." Maya replied simply.

"Maya! Don't think like that." Tori scolded, "think positive! Trust me, he'll say yes. He's totally into you."

"Well, that brings us to the second downside." Maya said once more.

"Wait, there's a second downside? I thought you said there was only one!" Tori replied, looking extremely confused.

"Well, I lied. The second downside is if he does want to, I'll have to introduce him to Katie first."

"Why?" Tori questioned, the confusion becoming even clearer upon her face.

"I don't know," Maya replied with a heavy sigh. "I guess it's just one of those overly protective sister things. She thinks Cam's bad news because he's a hockey player for the Ice Hounds."

"Ohh." Tori said, an expression of understanding replacing the one of confusion. "Well, if your sister gets to meet him, then you def need to introduce him to me!" Tori exclaimed excitedly. "May I remind you that I have yet to be formally introduced?"

Maya grinned. "When the time is right." She insisted.

Tori smiled brightly, "good."

The bell rang then, signalling the beginning of class. Their English teacher had not arrived yet however, so Tori and Maya's conversation continued.

"So, how are things going between you and Zig?" Maya inquired, hoping to get Tori off of the topic of her and Cam for a little while, but regretting it instantly when Tori's face fell.

"I honestly don't know Maya." Tori admitted glumly. "He just doesn't seem that into me."

"What do you mean?" Maya questioned.

"Well, whenever we're alone together, he barely says one word, and he always seems distracted." Tori explained quickly. "I think… I think he might like someone else." She added looking down at the desk, her face completely crumpling.

It felt as though Maya's stomach had dropped down into her butt. What Tori was describing… Had her intuition been correct last night after seeing his friend request? Had everything she had put together actually been right? Did Zig Novak… like her?

Maya suddenly recalled how every time she happened to be around Zig, he was constantly smiling, or grabbing a seat next to her, or even trying to get her attention.

Oh no. Why on earth was this happening? Why would Zig be interested in her, when Tori was so clearly interested in him? It was completely and utterly unfair.

"Aw Tor, you don't know that!" Maya began, "Maybe he's just got a lot going on right now. He's probably just distracted by life in general, and just doesn't feel like talking much." She told her best friend, trying her best to sound convincing, even though she didn't believe any of what she had just said at all herself.

"But… He always feels like talking to you." Tori replied softly, looking back up at Maya.

The expression that Maya read in Tori's eyes as she said this said it all. Tori knew that Zig liked Maya.

"It's not difficult to see how much Zig likes you Maya." Tori added sadly, confirming what Maya already knew to be true.

"I guess I must be blind then, because I honestly didn't figure it out until last night when he added me on FaceRange." Maya replied.

Tori made a strangled noise at this. "He… he added you on FaceRange?" She whispered, her dark eyes filled with hurt.

"Oh, Tor trust me, you don't have to worry! Nothing is ever going to happen between me and Zig." Maya assured her best friend.

"How can you be sure?" Tori asked quietly, as the teacher had now entered the classroom.

"One, because you're my best friend, and best friend just don't do that to one another. Two, I honestly don't see Zig in that way at all, and the third and final reason; I like Cam." Maya listed softly, ticking the reasons off on her fingers.

"But you're not with Cam yet!" Tori argued, "what if-"

"Listen Tor," Maya cut her best friend off. "Me and Zig are never going to happen. It is an impossibility. It's not possible. I could never, and most importantly I would never do that to you."

Tori gave Maya a small smile in response, "okay, okay. I believe you."

"Good. You have nothing to fear." Maya insisted.

The teacher then began their class with one of her many lectures, and Tori and Maya settled in for one of the longest English classes of their young lives.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Hey guys! I'd like to offer my sincere apologies, for I realise it's been just over a week since I've last updated! D: . I meant to do it sooner, I truly did, but as its April, my schedule has been jam packed. I've been even more busy than usual, for I'll be performing in my schools musical production next week. So lots of last minute rehearsals after school has left me with very little time to write and or post chapters, but I've been trying! I'm going to try to update again within the next week, and once the musical's over, I'll have much more time once again! Big thanks to Guest , SimplyKitty19 , HopelesslyFictional , Kayla Crystal , hlskroc , and SqueegeeG for all of your amazing reviews on the previous chapter! I really do appreciate your reviews every single time! You guys are amazing! (: This is chapter 13, please remember to leave me a lil review and let me know if you like! Also, I've already written a rough draft of chapter 14, I'll just have to type it up on the comp and do some serious editing before posting! So as I said, hopefully that one will be up before the seven day mark! Once again thank you so much to all that review/favourite/follow and continue to read and support this fic! You guys are the best! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 13- An Unexpected Encounter

By the time lunch arrived, Maya was feeling extremely anxious, and not to mention undecided. Anxious, because French class was getting nearer and nearer with each tick of the second hand on the clock, and undecided because she wasn't quite sure who she should go to, to spend the lunch hour with.

Should she make her way to the cafeteria? Would Zig, Tristan, and Tori be waiting for her at their usual table? Should she avoid seeing, or even speaking to Zig? Or, should she simply continue on with life like nothing was out of the ordinary, and everything was perfectly normal? So many different questions raced through Maya's young mind, and the frustrating thing was, she had no way of answering any of them.

In the end, Maya finally decided on avoiding her friends, and the cafeteria altogether, just to be on the safe side. Instead, she favoured going outside, to sit on the cool concrete steps alone, and enjoy the extraordinarily warm fall day.

Maya really wasn't bothered by the fact that she was alone, in fact, she rather enjoyed it. Alone time meant quiet, and time with her thoughts. Which was a rare occurrence when Tori or Tristan were around. Not that Maya didn't love them for being loud, and fun, but… quiet and time with her thoughts were always nice, and something she nearly never got at home.

Alone time was great, it did also have its negative points however, so if it did get a bit tiresome, there was always the fact that even though she was sitting by herself, there were actually many other students outside enjoying the weather, so if she did happen to get bored, she could always people watch. There was nothing wrong with that.

As her eyes swept over the school grounds and over all of the different people, she caught sight of her sister. Katie was standing and talking with a tall boy, who had brown hair. Maya recognized him instantly from the FaceRange photos. This boy could only be Jake Martin. Maya had to admit, he was super cute, even more so in person, and she also had to admit that her sister had great taste in boys. Katie sure knew how to pick 'em.

Suddenly, out of the corner of Maya's eye, she caught sight of another person. Someone that she was always looking for, even if only subconsciously. Campbell Saunders was walking in her direction, decked out in his usual Ice Hounds jacket, and carrying a rather large jet black hockey bag upon his right shoulder.

As soon as she realised he was heading in her direction, she began very seriously debating whether to speak to him or not, once again playing out all of the possible scenarios in her mind. Finally, she decided it was worth a shot, and that she would speak to him once he was within earshot.

Cam was slowly making his way to the steps, he had reached the steps, he was walking up the steps, he was about to pass her by. This was it. It was now or never. It was now or never, and she could not seem to speak. She was trying desperately, and her mouth was in the process of forming words, but not a single sound came out.

"Hi Cam!" Maya finally managed to blurt out, just in the nick of time.

Cam, who was in the process climbing the steps to enter the school glanced down to see who had greeted him. He smiled, as he found Maya Matlin seated on the concrete steps. "Oh, hey Maya." He responded cheerily.

Oh! Oh that smile! It got her every time. Her heart broke out into a sprint, and butterflies erupted in her stomach.

"W-What's up?" She stuttered, trying her best to sound casual and cool, but failing miserably by sounding eager instead.

"meeh, nothing really. Just got back from an early morning hockey practice." Cam replied, his smile fading it appeared at the mention of the sport that he had confessed to somewhat disliking, shifting the black hockey bag on his shoulder.

Maya gave a little laugh, "What, is that bag heavy or something?" She teased.

"Uh, Extremely." He responded, a hint of the smile reappearing at the edges of his lips.

"Aren't hockey players supposed to be strong?" She questioned playfully, smirking up at him.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you're thinking of wrestling." He replied with a smirk of his own, setting the hockey bag down and taking a seat next to her on the cool concrete steps. "To play hockey, all you really need is speed, hand eye coordination, and sick skating skills." He added.

"Hmmm," Maya began, chewing over everything he had just said. "So, it's definitely not the sport for me." She finally decided.

Cam laughed at this, nodding his head in what she hoped was understanding, and not agreement. "It's not for everyone."

"So… does that mean you have sick skating skills?" Maya inquired, being the first to establish eye contact.

"Oh, the sickest." Cam replied with a cheeky smile.

It was silent then, as the two gazed deeply into each others eyes. Maya became completely and utterly lost in his soft chocolate brown irises, and she wasn't sure if she would ever find her way back to reality. In all honesty though, she didn't mind this in the slightest. She would be perfectly content to just sit here on the cold concrete steps of the school, and stare into his beautiful eyes for an eternity.

Maya wasn't sure how long they had been sitting like this for, simply starting into one another's eyes. All she knew was that she felt extremely disappointed when Cam suddenly broke their eye contact and stood, slinging his heavy hockey bag onto his right shoulder once more.

For a split second, she believed that he was going to leave her here, sitting on the schools steps alone, without uttering so much as another word, but he didn't. Instead, he held his hand out to her.

"You coming?" He asked, with that signature grin of his.

"Where?" Maya questioned him, a puzzled expression appearing upon her face.

"To French class." Cam responded with a laugh, "the bell just rang, and we are officially late." He stated.

"Oh!" Maya cried, grabbing Cam's outstretched hand and hopping up. "I didn't even hear the bell!" She exclaimed frantically as they dashed to French class.

The two sprinted all the way there, and it was only once they had reached the classroom door that Maya realised she was still holding Cam's hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Maya apologised somewhat awkwardly, slowly pulling her hand out of his.

Cam grinned at her, "you don't have to apologise. I honestly didn't mind." He told her softly, gazing into her ocean blue eyes.

His gaze held Maya, as did the words he had just spoken. She was rooted to the spot where she stood, and she wouldn't have been able to move even if she had tried.

Had he truthfully just spoken those words to her, or had she simply been imagining things? She had always had an overactive imagination. Or so she had been told.

It took her a few moments before she could actually speak again, for his eyes never left hers, and she couldn't bring herself to look away. Finally though, she realised they had been standing outside of their classroom for what had to be five minutes, if not more.

"We'd better get in there. We're already late." She finally said, somewhat breathlessly. His eyes were still locked on hers, and she still couldn't move.

Cam nodded in agreement, finally breaking their eye contact, and finally freeing Maya.

She was able to move once more, and they entered the classroom together.

French Class passed quickly, much more quickly than Maya would have liked. She had enjoyed spending time with Cam. They had talked all through the class, (mostly in French, as it was becoming a requirement in the classroom) and so half of the time they had no clue what they were saying to one another. They kept at it though, all the while working hard on their project. A lot of things were said back and forth, random words, and phrases, and there was even laughter when Tristan would translate what they were actually saying to each other in English, and it turned out that it didn't make any sense whatsoever.

When the bell tolled, signalling the end of class, Maya was actually more than extremely disappointed. Tristan had left instantly, insisting that he needed the entire 10 minute break to study for the quiz he would be having during his last period class, and so he left Maya and Cam alone together to pack up their belongings.

"So, Maya…" Cam began slowly, "I had a lot of fun hanging out with you today." He told her seriously.

Maya looked up at him and smiled brightly. "Me too."

"Would you maybe want to… you know… hang out with me sometime? I mean… outside of school?" Cam questioned nervously, glancing down at his feet as he spoke. For once, he was the one avoiding her gaze.

"Sure." Maya replied, positively beaming. "I would like that."

Cam looked up at her once she had spoken, exhaling loudly in relief and grinning. "Okay, great! I uh, have a big hockey game tonight, and then I have practice pretty much all day Saturday," He began, "and I'm pretty sure I have practice on Sunday morning too."

Maya's smile disappeared, her face falling. So, even though he had asked her to hang out, she still wasn't going to be seeing him this weekend. The disappointments were just piling up.

"What about Sunday afternoon?" He finally asked her, after a few moments of silent deliberation. "I was just thinking, we live pretty close to each other, we could just meet where we ran into each other last night… and then we could decided whose house?" He suggested.

Maya's smile reappeared as this suggestion sent her heart soaring. "That sounds great!" she replied excitedly, nodding enthusiastically.

Cam smiled in return. "Cool. I'll message you on FaceRange with the time."

"Okay, see you Sunday!" Maya replied cheerfully as they departed from the classroom and went their separate ways.

Maya had a funny feeling she was going to have a terrible time concentrating on volleyball during gym class that afternoon. She made her way to her locker and pulled the slip of paper with her combination out of her pocket, for she still hadn't managed to memorise it, grabbed her things and quickly headed towards the gymnasium.

When Maya entered the gym, she immediately made a beeline for Tori. She noticed that Tori and Zig were sitting together, but she couldn't be bothered to care. She had to many things she wanted to tell Tori, she would just have to ignore him.

Then, the thought struck her. Maybe, if Zig heard Maya gushing to Tori about Cam, and how they were planning to hang out, maybe Zig would take the hint, and move on. To someone, more suited for him. Perhaps Tori Santamaria?

"Maya!" Tori greeted jumping up from her seat on the bleachers as Maya approached the two. "Where have you been? I totally missed you at lunch!"

Maya took a deep breath, calming herself before she began. "I was hanging out… with Cam!" She told Tori, her face lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"OHMYGOSH! OHMYGOSH!" Tori exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Maya's left arm and pulling her to the bottom bleacher, forcing her to sit down. "How'd it go? Tell me everything!"

Maya grinned at her best friend. "It went amazing Tor! Absolutely amazing! He asked me if I would want to hang out sometime! Outside of school!"

"OHMYGOSH!" Tori exclaimed once again, shrilly. "What did you say? Please, please tell me you said yes! Playing hard to get is a huge no no! Especially with shy boys like Campbell Saunders!"

"Of course I said yes!" Maya laughed, "We're meeting on Sunday."

Tori let out a loud shriek of happiness before pulling Maya into an awkward sitting down hug. "Maya, that's so awesome!"

"I know!" Maya agreed excitedly.

As she pulled out of the hug, she chanced a quick glance in Zig's direction.

He appeared to be extremely solemn, and wasn't making eye contact with anyone in the gym. He was simply looking down at his sneakers.

She looked away quickly, before she could be caught by him, or Tori, and felt a slight pain of guilt.

Zig was still one of her closest friends, and she truly hated hurting him in this way, but the fact of the matter was that it had to be done. She was not going to lose her chance with Campbell Saunders, or ruin her friendship with Tori, all because of Zig Novak.

Maya had already liked Zig, but that had been a long time ago, and he hadn't been at all interested in her then. He had missed his chance, even though he didn't know it, and Maya had moved on.

She knew she would have to discuss this with Zig eventually, sooner rather than later, and when they did, he would just have to accept the fact that she liked Cam now, and that nothing would ever happen between them. Ever.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Hey guys! Whoa it's been awhile since I last updated! I'm pleased to tell you that my musical went extremely well! Thanks to HopelesslyFictional for your amazing review, and for wishing me luck! :). Performing was such a thrill! And it's extremely sad that it's all over now. On the upside, it leaves me with more time to write more chapters and to update this story more regularly, starting now! Also big thanks to Kayla Crystal , Onedirection2013 , and xoxcassie382xox for your reviews on chapter 13! Also big thanks to all of those continuing to favourite and follow this story! Now, I know it's been awhile since I last updated, but it would mean a lot to me if all of you still reading would leave me a lil review on this chapter and let me know what ya think! (: Thank you thank you. You guys are the best! Enjoy! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 14- Sunday

When Sunday morning arrived, Maya awoke with the sensation of butterflies flapping around deep inside of her petite stomach. Today was the day. The day that her and Campbell were to hang out. To 'chill' as many teens referred to it as.

He had messaged her via FaceRange on Saturday afternoon, and had suggested that they meet at 1:30pm, at the location that they had discussed on Friday at school. To her, this had sounded perfect, and she had told him that they should hang out at the Matlin household. He, had agreed without a moments hesitation.

One thing that Maya had not done however was tell Cam why she wanted to hang out at her place. She had absolutely refused to disclose that information at the time. She had also failed to mention that he would have to meet Katie. She knew she would have to tell him this eventually, and decided she would do so on their walk back to her place.

Maya rolled over and checked the alarm clock sitting on her bedside table, '9:30am'. So, she still had 4 more hours until her and Cam were to meet. She decided she would start the process of getting ready now, however. She wanted to make sure she looked absolutely perfect. Of course, somewhere deep down she knew absolute perfection was not achievable, but she would do her very best none the less.

Maya would have asked Katie to help her get ready, but seeing as her sister didn't approve of Cam yet, she knew better than to do this.

So, she began the chore of readying herself alone. She sauntered over to her closet, and began with her outfit. She chose a solid black pair of tights, and a white tank top with small pink hearts scattered about. It was a cute, yet simple little number, and it was one of Maya's favourites.

Once she had dressed, she headed to the bathroom to begin the long taxing process of doing her hair. Since she had showered the night before, and had fallen asleep whilst it had still been slightly damp, she was certain it was going to be extremely difficult this morning. She was absolutely right of course. When Maya took her first look in the mirror, her usually straight blonde hair was wavy, and sticking out and up in all sorts of places at all sorts of odd angles.

Maya grimaced at her reflection as she realised just how long it might take to make her hair even remotely presentable, not to mention perfect, and was extremely thankful that she had awoken when she had.

First thing was first, she pulled her hot pink hair straightener from the top drawer beneath the bathroom sink, and plugged it into the little outlet next to the bathroom mirror. Then, as it was heating, she turned the tap on, allowing cool water from the faucet to run into the sink as she grabbed handfuls of the water and tried desperately to use it to flatten the parts of her hair that had taken on a 'Medusa'-ish quality.

After several attempts, and numerous handfuls of cool water, she finally seemed to be successful in making her hair slightly more presentable. Maya then proceeded to straighten out her wavy blonde locks as quickly as humanly possible, for she didn't have a clock in the bathroom, and she greatly feared that she was beginning to run short on time.

Once Maya had managed to get her hair back to it's normal state, perfectly straight, she removed her glasses for a moment and added just a touch of eye makeup. After this, she placed her glasses back upon the bridge of her nose, quickly brushed her teeth, and was finally ready. She shot her reflection a quick smile before unplugging her hair straightener and leaving it out on the counter to cool. She then exited the bathroom.

Maya made her way to the den quickly, where Katie was spending her Sunday morning studying on the floor, cross legged, a book in her lap and the rest of her school books scattered in a loose semi circle around her.

"Katie, what could you possibly studying?" Maya questioned, taking in the sight before her. "We were at school for three days." She added, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, it's my last year in school, and I want good marks." Katie replied defensively, looking up at her sister. "I'm not studying anything in particular, just going over everything." She added, returning her gaze to the textbook in her lap, which was soon revealed to be a book on algebra.

Maya tried hard to keep it together at this response, even going to the lengths of biting her tongue, but she failed miserably as soon as she caught a glimpse of the textbook Katie was studying, algebra, and she burst into fits of laughter. "You are such a nerd." She stated between giggles.

Katie looked up at Maya, a small smirk upon her face. "Says the person, who spends all of her free time practicing the cello."

"Hey! The cello is awesome." Maya replied, her turn to be defensive now.

"Maya, trust me," Katie began. "It might have been cool in the early 1900's when the instrument first came to light, but now, it's just lame. Besides, it's bigger than you are!" Katie pointed out.

"Face it Katie, you're just jealous because I actually have a talent." Maya replied in a light teasing tone, plunking herself down on the den carpet next to her sister.

"Oh whatever!" Katie laughed. "Why do you look so snazzy?" She added, finally taking in the entirety of Maya's appearance.

Maya rolled her eyes at this question. "I'm meeting Cam today. Remember? I must have told you at least a thousand times by now."

"Ohh, right. I think you've only told me that about a thousand and five times actually." Katie corrected teasingly. "You'll be bringing him here to meet me." Katie added, reminding Maya of their little deal.

"Of course." Maya replied, her eyes widening in an expression of innocence. As if she could forget her sisters one condition. She couldn't even if she wanted to. Katie would never have that.

"What time are you meeting him?" Katie questioned curiously, closing her algebra textbook and setting it down in front of her.

"1:30." Maya replied.

"Perfect. If you don't bring him back here by two, I will hunt both of you down." Katie warned, looking her sister straight in the eyes, letting her know she was completely serious.

Maya just rolled her eyes in response.

"Don't roll your eyes at me Maya! You know I'm serious. Dead serious."

"I know." Maya sighed, glancing over at the clock on the den wall.

It was 11:30. Two more hours. Just two more hours, and she would be back in Cam's company.

The next two hours passed as though in super slow motion. It seemed to take an agonizingly long time, but finally, it was just five minutes until 1:30, and Maya left the house, feeling extremely giddy.

When she arrived at their meeting place, the street corner where they had collided last Thursday evening, Cam was already there, waiting for her.

Cam was dressed casually, wearing blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt and his Ice Hounds jacket. Of course, his Ice Hounds jacket. Maya smiled to herself. She couldn't recall a single time since she had met Campbell Saunders that he was not wearing that jacket.

Sure, Cam wasn't all dressed up, but, he didn't have to be. This wasn't technically an actual date or anything. But, even if it was, Maya probably honestly wouldn't mind. He was dressed the way he would be any other day. He was nobody but himself, and she admired that fact, very much.

"Hey." She called out to him as she approached, a small smile upon her lips.

"Hey!" Cam responded with a grin.

It was at this point, after the exchange of greetings, that Maya realised she did not know what else to say. She did not have anything else to say. She was at a loss for words. In her brain, she was scrambling, for something, anything at all. How on earth were they ever supposed to hang out all day if they couldn't converse?

Cam seemed to notice Maya struggling, and decided to begin. "So… should we start walking…?" He questioned uncertainly.

"Uh, yeah. Yes." Maya stuttered.

Why was she so nervous? She couldn't understand it. She had been fine…

The two started the walk back to the Matlin household slowly, side by side. Suddenly, Maya remembered Katie's condition, and realised that she should probably tell Cam about it. He needed to be prepared.

"So, there was kind of a reason as to why I wanted to hang out at my house today." Maya began.

"Was there?" Cam questioned, shooting her a cheeky smile.

His smile made her heart melt, as per usual, and it also seemed contagious. It made Maya want to smile in return, and so she did.

"Um, yeah. See, my sister, Katie, she wanted to meet you." Maya replied, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Why's that?" Cam questioned again, still grinning.

Maya punched his arm lightly, it had a playful quality to it. "You ask to many questions." She responded with a grin. "She wanted to meet you because…" Maya trailed off as they reached her front door.

Cam turned from the door towards her, slight confusion upon his face.

"Because she's being the predictable over protective older sister. And she wants to make sure you're… suitable." Maya finally admitted, being sure to choose her words carefully.

A look of understanding washed over Cam's face. "Oh, I get it." He replied softly.

"Cam," Maya began once more. She took a deep breath. She was going to say it. So help her, she was going to say it. She had thought she had nothing to say to Cam, but now she found she might have to much to say to him. To much she wanted to say. She would have to choose her words carefully once more.

"Yeah?"

"I really like you." Maya admitted. Those words would do, for now. As soon as she had uttered them, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and her chest. "And I sincerely apologize for what's about to happen here." She added, as she turned the doorknob and they entered the house.

Cam chuckled at this as the two stepped into the entrance hallway, and Maya closed the door behind them.

"Maya," Cam began now, "I really like you too. I've just been to scared to admit it." He told her quietly, gazing directly into her blue irises.

Maya's heart soared at his words. Was this really happening? Had Maya really just heard those words come from Campbell Saunders mouth? Did her ears deceive her?

"Why were you scared?" She asked him curiously, her heart hammering in her chest.

He shrugged. "Because… I thought you wouldn't feel the same."

Maya smiled kindly at him. "Well, Campbell Saunders, you were totally wrong."

Cam smiled back at her, his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes shining with what could only be pure joy.

God! How she adored those eyes of his…

"I hear whispering!" Katie suddenly called loudly from the den, totally ruining their moment. "Maya! I know it's you! And your special guest! Don't think for one minute that I forgot about you!" She called even more loudly.

"I guess we should go see her." Maya said softly.

Cam nodded in agreement, looking more than slightly nervous. "But, Maya?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What if she doesn't like me?" He whispered, looking extremely worried.

"MAYA! It's 5 minutes to two! Remember what I said earlier! If you're not in here by two-"

"We'll be right there!" Maya shouted back, cutting her sister off. "Anyway, she would be crazy if she didn't." Maya replied softly. "Actually, she is kind of crazy, but-"

"MAYA!" Katie called once again, impatiently.

Cam quickly looked to where Katie's voice had come from, and then back to Maya's face, panic stricken. The fear was clear in his chocolate brown eyes.

Maya reached out and grabbed Cam's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It'll be fine. Trust me. Don't be scared." She reassured him.

"Okay." He replied, nodding his head.

With that being said, they made their way to the den to face Katie, hand in hand.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Hey guys! Big thanks to HopelesslyFictional , Guest , Kayla Crystal , the other Guest , fiftyshadesofshae , and Degrassi lover for all of your reviews! Also thank you to all of those who have been favouriting/following this story! This is Chapter 15, and I bet you can guess what happens here from the title! (: Please remember to leave me a little review and let me know what you think! (: Constructive Criticism is also always accepted. I'll take anything that may make my writing better! You guys are all awesome! Thanks for reading and reviewing and please continue to do so! Hope you all like! (:**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 15- Approved

Maya and Cam sauntered slowly into the den. They came to a halt just inside the doorway, still hand in hand. This fact was not lost upon Katie, who had moved from the floor, and was now seated cross legged on the center sofa cushion. She had apparently decided to switch things up a little, for she now had a history text book placed on her lap, and a can of Pepsi in her right hand.

Her gaze immediately zeroed in on Maya and Cam's intertwined fingers, and she cleared her throat loudly. This course of action caused Cam to jump slightly, and pull his hand out of Maya's quickly, dropping it to his side.

Great. Maya thought to herself glumly. They hadn't even been in the den for five seconds yet and Katie was already somehow managing to scare the crap out of him.

"So, Maya." Katie began, "are you going to introduce me to your guest?" She questioned, placing her Pepsi can on the coffee table, and snapping her history book shut loudly, then tossing it aside, onto the free cushion next to her.

Maya rolled her eyes, which was something she seemed to be doing an awful lot of as of late. "Wasn't that the entire point of me bringing him here today?" Maya replied exasperatedly.

Katie shot Maya a glare in response, and Cam shifted uncomfortably, but remained silent. Maya could practically feel the unease and tension rolling off of him in waves.

She sighed, and then began the introductions, pasting a big fake cheesy grin upon her face, and using an exaggerated cheerful tone. "Katie, this is Campbell Saunders. Campbell, this is my older sister, Katie Matlin."

"Hi." Cam greeted shyly, giving Katie a little wave.

"Campbell. That's an interesting name." Katie responded in a condescending tone, watching the boy closely, and gauging his reaction.

Maya couldn't believe how rude her sister was being. She hadn't even bothered to say hello to him in return, and this fact alone irritated Maya to absolutely no end.

"It's a unique name!" Maya snapped irritably in Cam's defence. "Which is more than I can say for some people. Katie, the 3rd most common name in this entire country."

Katie shot Maya yet another glare, but said nothing to her sister. Instead, she turned her attention back to the boy, Campbell, and took in his appearance now.

He wasn't short, but on the other hand, he wasn't overly tall. He was only a couple of inches taller than her sister, with brown hair and soft chocolate brown irises. He still had just a hint of childish roundness to his face, reminding Katie that he really was still just a kid. If she had done her research right, Campbell was merely 15 years old, three years younger than she, and only a year older than Maya.

Yes, he was young. But, he was still a teenager, and he was still a boy, and Katie knew all about what young teenage boys wanted. She knew about the only thing they were interested in when it came to girls. Didn't everyone?

"Uh, you- you can just call me Cam. Everyone does." Cam finally inputted.

Katie noticed for the first time that his voice was soft. She hadn't noticed this when he had first said hello, and it was not at all what she had been expecting from a Toronto Ice Hound. Another thing she noticed was that he was being extremely polite. Polite. To Katie. She was being rude, and she knew it. The reason she was behaving this way was to see what kind of reaction she would get out of him. She would have expected Cam to be snapping at her the way Maya was by now, but he wasn't.

This was a good start.

"So, Cam. Maya tells me that you play hockey." Katie continued.

"Yeah, yeah. I do, for the Toronto Ice Hounds-" Cam began, but was abruptly interrupted.

"Yeah yeah. Next big NHL star, I know. Everyone knows. You're all over the papers. You don't need to brag about it." Katie snapped, cutting Cam off mid-sentence.

This caused Maya to shoot Katie not only a glare, but one of her infamous death glares. She could not believe that her sister was behaving so unbelievably rudely. This was dumb. She didn't need to take this, and Cam certainly didn't need to take this. He didn't deserve to be snapped at for trying to explain an answer to a question Katie had asked! If she was just going to interrupt him every time he tried to answer what the hell was the point in all of this.

"O-Okay," Cam stuttered. "I wasn't going to…" he added quietly, looking away from Katie for a moment and towards Maya for help. It was apparent that he wouldn't be receiving any help from her at the moment however, for she seemed to be a bit preoccupied with sending Katie glares. The phrase, 'If Looks Could Kill' was one that ran through his mind as he shifted his gaze back to the older Matlin sister.

"So, Cam. You play any other sports?" Katie inquired, but before Cam had a chance to answer, Maya had piped up now.

"Oh my goodness! What is he on trial here? Why do you need to know what other sports he plays? What does it matter? This is absolutely ridiculous!" Maya cried out, throwing her arms up in frustration.

Katie, chose to ignore Maya's outburst entirely, and simply continued to look at Cam, awaiting his answer to her question.

"Well… I did play basketball for awhile, at my old school." Cam replied weakly.

"Did? You don't anymore? What happened?" Katie pressed.

"Well, they made me choose. Basketball or hockey. I was told I couldn't do both, so, I chose hockey." Cam explained, his voice growing stronger. He was feeling a bit more confident now that he was managing to complete full sentences without being interrupted by Katie, or even Maya for that matter.

"And, why did you choose hockey instead of basketball?" Katie questioned once more.

"I'm better at hockey." Was Cam's simple answer.

Katie thought about this answer for a moment, and then remembered something. During one of her and Maya's many arguments about the famous Campbell Saunders, Maya had claimed that Cam didn't even like hockey all that much. It was time to see if this was true.

"Which sport did you enjoy more?"

"Basketball." Cam replied, without missing a beat.

There wasn't a moments hesitation there, none at all, and Katie noticed. "Why?" She shot back quickly, her sapphire eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"With basketball, I could just play." Cam began, his eyes unfocussing. Going back to that moment in his life, back when he had actually played the sport. "It didn't matter how good I was. It didn't matter how many points I got the team. It didn't even matter if we won or if we lost. There wasn't any tiring frequent early morning practices, actually there were hardly any practices at all, and there certainly wasn't any training involved. There was no pressure." Cam finished, his eyes refocusing.

At this point, Katie's sapphire eyes widened, and she was completely lost for words. This kid sure knew how to talk. He was even making Katie herself go soft, and she rarely had a soft spot for anyone, let alone a boy that was interested in her little sister. This was exactly the kind of person she needed to protect her sister from. The sweet talkers!

But, another thought dawned on her then. Perhaps Campbell Saunders wasn't being a sweet talker at all. Perhaps he wasn't trying to charm her. Perhaps, he was truly speaking from his heart.

As soon as Cam saw the expression upon Katie's face, he knew this was going well. It was as though Maya's sisters hard exterior shell had disappeared, and he was seeing an actual person. This didn't last long however. In a mere matter of seconds, the hard mask had reappeared.

Katie had finally managed to recover herself, and compose her face.

Even though the last thing she wanted to do was believe it, somehow, deep down, she knew that every piece of information Cam had just given her was nothing but the truth. There was just absolutely no way he could have made all of that up on the spot. It had to be the way he felt. It just had to be.

Katie truly hated to admit it, even just to herself, but Maya had been right. Cam did seem much different than the others, and the reason that she hated to admit this, was simply because that would mean that she, Katie, had been wrong. And there was nothing more in this world that Katie hated than being wrong.

"So, why are you interested in my sister then, Cam?" Katie asked him seriously.

Maya rolled her eyes once again. Was this inquiry ever going to end? She felt as though they had been standing here for practically an eternity. So long in fact that her feet were starting to protest, and she shifted into a position that suggested she was fed up with this entire thing. One leg bent, a hand placed on her hip, supporting her upper body. Couldn't Katie just approve already so they could get on with their lives?

Cam got up the courage to look directly into Katie Matlin's icy blue eyes as he answered this question. "Who wouldn't be? She's beautiful, funny, and smart." He replied honestly.

Maya positively beamed at him as she heard this, approving greatly of this response.

Cam, now feeling completely confident and comfortable, reached out and grabbed Maya's hand once more.

Katie had to try extremely hard to suppress a smile as she witnessed this. It was unbelievably adorable. Campbell had provided a good answer, and not only a good answer, but the right answer, and he had seemed completely honest, and genuine while doing so. Him reaching out to grab her little sisters hand as he had praised her was just icing on the cake.

Katie could tell from the way Maya was looking at him now, that she really truly liked Campbell Saunders. She could also tell that Campbell felt the same way about Maya.

She wasn't about to get in the way of them. For the time being, Katie could honestly say, that she approved. However, that didn't mean that she wasn't going to watch the two like a hawk whenever the chance presented itself.

"Okay," Katie announced. "Maya, for the time being, I approve."

"Yes!" Maya squealed excitedly. What she really wanted to say was 'finally' but she didn't want to spoil her sisters mood, and risk having the temporary stamp of approval changed.

"But, I do have one more question Cam." Katie stated, holding up a finger in the ever so popular 'wait one moment' gesture.

"Yeah?"

"This one is very important, and I need you to answer it honestly." Katie continued.

"What is it?" Cam questioned.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Katie!" Maya cried, looking utterly horrified. "Cam, you don't have to answer that!" Maya told him, giving his hand a little squeeze.

Cam's face had turned a light shade of magenta, and he was looking out the den window, refusing to make eye contact with either Matlin sister.

"Seriously Katie, don't you think that question is a little personal, not to mention inappropriate?" Maya questioned her sister in a tone of utter disbelief.

"Whatever." Katie retorted. "All that matters is that I got my answer." She added, sounding quite pleased with herself.

"But, he didn't say anything." Maya stated bluntly.

"Exactly." Katie replied, with a small smirk upon her face.

Maya's eyes widened as she suddenly understood what Katie meant, and she shot her sister a dirty look.

Katie laughed loudly. "Now get outta here, and go do something productive with your time!" She ordered.

"Let's go Cam."

"Nice to meet you Katie." Cam said softly, before turning and exiting the den. Maya followed, but just before exiting the room, she turned back to face Katie, a look of relief upon her face. 'Thank you!' She mouthed to her sister.

Katie gave Maya a smile, and nodded in response.

Maya then entered the entrance hall, where Cam was standing, waiting patiently for her. She then grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. She would have to keep the door open of course, for closing it would be completely out of the question.

She sat down on the bed, and patted the spot next to her, signalling that he to should sit as well. He did, and they sat side by side in silence for a few moments.

"So, did I do alright?" Cam finally inquired quietly, slipping his hand into hers once again.

Maya looked deep into his beautiful chocolate irises and smiled. "You did perfect Campbell Saunders. You have been officially approved."

"So, does that mean I get to take you out on an official date?" Cam questioned her, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"It does."

"Well then, I'll have to start looking for some snazzy restaurants. Maybe even one where you need a reservation."

Maya giggled at this. "It doesn't have to be fancy at all. Honestly, Lil Miss Steaks would do." She told him, smiling brightly.

"Excellent." Cam began, "It'll have to be on a day when I don't have hockey practice though. Because I want all of my undivided attention to be yours."

"Okay there, Romeo." Maya laughed. "Just look into your hockey schedule, and then let me know."

It was silent then for a moment, as Cam traced the slight vein patterns on the back of Maya's hand with his fingers lightly.

"You know, I didn't think I was going to be found suitable for you." Cam suddenly said.

"Katie was just playing the overprotective sib role. It'll get better now. I mean, it won't be so intense the next time you interact with her. I promise." Maya replied, watching his warm fingers trace the patterns. The sensation was absolutely wonderful to her.

"Good. Because to be completely honest, and you know, honesty is the best policy, she kind of scares me." Cam admitted.

Maya laughed loudly. "She scares everyone. You totally held your own though. I'm actually surprised it went so well. I was so scared it would turn out badly."

"Hey!" Cam exclaimed, looking up from her hand and directly into Maya's eyes. "Right before we went in there you told me not to be nervous because everything would be fine!"

"Well, I had to convince someone, because I sure couldn't convince myself." Maya replied with a small smirk.

Cam chuckled. "Oh well, everything seems to have worked out, so I guess we can stop worrying."

"Yes, we can." Maya agreed, standing up. Cam stood with her.

"Say it." Maya ordered suddenly, grabbing both of his warm hands in hers and staring directly into his soft eyes.

"Say what?" Cam questioned, his eyebrows knitting together in slight confusion.

"Say you're approved." Maya told him. "It'll feel good."

"Will it? Will it feel good?"

"It will."

"Okay," Cam said, taking a deep breath. "I, Campbell Saunders, have been officially approved."

"You see, I told you it would feel good." Maya told him, a huge smile upon her face.

"You were right." Cam replied, a huge grin spreading across his own face in response, as he continued to gaze into Maya Matlin's beautiful, ocean blue eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Hey guys! I am truthfully so sorry that I've left this story without an update for so long once again. I had a lot going on in life, including my graduation. I am officially a high school graduate. Feeling pretty proud. (: I wrote this chapter a long time ago, but just didn't find the time to post it. Well, here it is. Chapter 16. It's not as long as some of the previous chapters, but don't worry, there are still many, many more chapters to come in this story. Many. Even though it's been a long time I've not lost sight of this story or where I want to take it. One day it will be complete. If you guys are still reading, thank you so much! Leave me a lil review and let me know what ya think! I will shout out everyone that reviews in my next chapter update. Big thanks to all of those who reviewed chapter fifteen and who continue to read, favourite, and follow this story! Love you guys!**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. Or any of the characters_.**

Chapter 16- A Sisters Advice.

It had been just over a week since Cam had been officially approved by Katie. Unfortunately however, Maya was still patiently awaiting the day that he would ask her out on their first official date.

Since that glorious Sunday afternoon a little over a week ago, it seemed that hockey training, and after school practices were taking up an awful lot of Cam's time, time that used to be spent freely, and however he pleased.

Although Maya had confessed that she did in fact like Cam the previous Sunday, and Cam had admitted that he had really liked her as well, nothing seemed to change. Despite the fact that on the rare occasion Maya and Cam did happen to have a moment to themselves, they would hold hands. Other than this, nothing else had happened, and it was a tad disappointing.

Cam had yet to ask her on a date, and yet to ask her to be his official girlfriend.

At the moment, Maya wasn't quite sure where she stood with Campbell Saunders, and she hoped desperately that something new and exciting would happen between the two of them. The hand holding, although nice, was becoming sort of monotonous.

But perhaps if she wanted something new to happen, she would have to be the one to make the first move.

Today was a Monday, and it seemed to start off very odd. Maya happened to awake on this particular Monday before her alarm had even gone off.

It was a cool, rainy September morning. The kind of morning that makes one want to stay in bed beneath the warm covers, and cuddle up to their favourite stuffed animal, and Maya was no exception.

She groaned and grumbled as she reluctantly pulled herself out from beneath her toasty warm sheets, and stumbled over to her closet, still half asleep, yawning wildly and rubbing her tired eyes.

Maya pulled open her closet door, and as she stood there, looking in at the contents, pondering what outfit she was going to wear that day, her stomach gave a loud growl, letting her know that it wanted to be fed, and that it required food immediately.

So, still considering what she was going to wear that day, Maya made her way to the kitchen where she found her sister, whipping up a batch of pancakes.

"Morning." Maya greeted as she took a seat at the table, waiting for breakfast to be served.

"Morning." Katie replied as she flipped a pancake.

Maya checked the clock on the stove. It was five minutes to eight. "Uh, Katie? I think you're going to regret making those." Maya told her sister after quickly doing the math in her head.

"Why?" Katie questioned, spinning herself around to look at her sister.

Maya laughed, "didn't you check the time before you started breakfast? It's already 8'oclock and you're not even dressed yet! And I know how long it takes you to do your hair Katie. You're gonna end up running late."

Katie said nothing in response. Instead, she merely stuck her tongue out at her younger sister, and turned back to her pancakes.

When Katie finally sat down to her breakfast a few minutes later, she found that Maya was still seated at the kitchen table, and furthermore was staring at her expectantly.

"What?" Katie asked defensively, feeling only slightly uncomfortable by her sisters stare. "Do I have something on my face?" She joked, picking up her fork and tying into her breakfast.

"Where are my pancakes?" Maya asked her sister, looking down at the empty space in front of her, the space where her plate should have been placed and where her breakfast should have been served to her.

Katie snorted loudly at this. "Seriously? Maya you're fourteen years old! Make your own breakfast!"

"Fine!" Maya huffed loudly.

Now forced to make her own breakfast, and faced with very little time, Maya had to settle for two pieces of dry toast.

"Wow, that looks delicious." Katie remarked sarcastically as Maya took her seat at the table once more, toast in hand.

"Shut up." Maya muttered, taking her first bite.

Now, although Maya was thoroughly annoyed and aggravated by the fact that Katie had refused to share her pancakes, she had to admit that she was extremely proud of her older sister.

Katie seemed to be eating regularly now, and was looking as though she was back up to a moderately healthy weight. Of course, she still had a long road ahead of her, and it would be tough at times, but Maya knew that Katie was strong, and was positive that she could get through anything.

Once Maya had finished her toast, she quickly returned to her bedroom to choose her outfit. Since it was a cold, rainy, miserable day, she thought it best to just stick with jeans, a t-shirt, and a large warm sweatshirt.

When she was finally ready to leave for school and face the day, Maya pulled on her favourite pair of sneakers and waited for Katie at the front door.

She had been thinking about it, and she wanted to ask her sister for some advice. The walk to school seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.

After a few minutes, Katie finally appeared before Maya, throwing the entrance hall closet door open and scrambling to find a pair of shoes. Maya had been right of course. Right about Katie's decision to make pancakes that morning, not that it really mattered. In the Matlin household it seemed either one, or even both sisters were always running late.

In fact, there had yet to be a moment in Maya's fourteen years and in Katie's eighteen years that they had actually both been on time.

Finally it seemed Katie found the shoes that she desired to wear, and the sisters left the house together, beginning the walk in complete and utter silence.

Maya wasn't sure how to begin, or even where to begin to ask her older sister for advice. She felt like an idiot, but it had to be done. Who else could she talk to these things about? Well, obviously Tori, but for the time being, Maya wanted to know what her sister had to say on the subject.

"Katie? Can I talk to you about something?" Maya finally asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Katie questioned, simultaneously pulling her Ipod out of her hoodie pocket, placing an ear bud in her right ear and beginning to scroll through the devices musical content.

"It's Cam…" Maya began slowly.

Instantaneously, Katie's head snapped up from the device she was holding and turned in her sisters direction. Her sapphire eyes were wide and wild looking. "What did he do?" Katie questioned fiercely.

"Katie relax. It's not so much what he did. More… what he didn't do." Maya explained cautiously.

Katie's expression relaxed as soon as these words exited Maya's mouth. "Oh. Well, what do you mean?" She inquired, her previously fierce tone now back to a more casual one.

"I mean, nothing's happened between us. Nothing at all. Not since last Sunday!" Maya exclaimed, frustration colouring her tone. "He's not asked me out on a date, he's not asked me to be his girlfriend. We haven't even hugged each other goodbye, or even k-" Maya stopped abruptly as her eyes fell upon Katie's face. Her sisters fierce expression had returned.

'Kissed' was the word she had been about to say, and she had a feeling Katie knew this, by the expression that had reappeared on her face. By that expression, Maya decided it would be best for all parties involved if she didn't continue, or even finish that sentence.

"Look, Maya. If you didn't realise this already, Campbell Saunders is SHY." Was Katie's helpful response.

"Yeah, I've notice. It was one of the first things I did notice about him."

"Well then, don't feel bad that he hasn't asked you out yet. And don't feel bad that he hasn't done those…" Katie trailed off, her eyes narrowing, "other things." She finished.

"I can't help it!" Maya whined. "It's making me question everything. What if the reason he hasn't asked me out yet is because he doesn't feel the same way that I feel about him, and he doesn't want a relationship?"

The sisters had reached Degrassi Community school now, and they scurried inside and out of the pouring rain.

"Maya, it's not that he doesn't want to date you." Katie stated matter of factly. "He's just to shy to make the first move. Let me ask you this- who admitted their feelings about the other first?"

Maya thought about this question for a moment before answering. "I did."

"Exactly." Katie retorted. "So you're just going to have to make the first move when it comes to the other things as well. Trust me, there's nothing wrong with the girl making the first move."

"But, I want him to!" Maya replied sulkily as the sisters trudged down the main hallway in their soaking wet clothes.

"Then just give him some time. Once he's completely one hundred percent comfortable with you, there's a good chance that he will."

"But that could take forever!" Maya whined.

"Oh, drop the drama queen act! I bet it would only take two weeks at the most." Katie replied seriously.

Maya let out a loud frustrated sigh as she approached her locker and opened it up, grabbing the books she would need for her English class. (She had finally managed to remember her combination, and no longer needed the little slip of paper that Marisol had given her two weeks previous.)

"Don't stress chicken little. It'll happen." Katie reassured her sister. "Now I'm gonna go get my stuff, and you'd better get to class, before you're late!" She added, before rushing off in the direction of her locker.

Maya slammed her locker door shut, with a little bit more force than was really necessary, before heading off to English.

She had gotten her sisters advice, and now it was time for her to get her best friends perspective on things.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Hey guys ! Big thank yous to ToWriteBlakeOnHerArms , HopelesslyFictional , rawrglefargle , and Nightrose20 for all of your very kind reviews! I very much appreciate them (: . Now, I've been writing, and rewriting, and editing, and rewriting, and rewriting this chapter some more. It's been a difficult one to write, I'll admit that, and I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but after five days I figured it was time to post it and move on. Keep this story going haha. Again it's slightly shorter than previous chapters, but I've already began writing chapter 18 and I will be updating again very soon! Thank you once again to all of those reviewing, following, and favouriting this story! It truly does mean a lot! &Remember to leave me a lil review and let me know what you think and if you're liking! Thanks guys! You're all awesome! (:**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 17- Introductions

As Maya quickly made her way to her English classroom, she couldn't stop thinking about what Katie had advised. Make the first move. It seemed so simple, make the first move. It was good advice, this much was true, but, Maya wasn't completely sure that she wanted to take her sister's advice. Again, not because it was bad advice by any means, but simply because, in the books, in the movies, in the television shows, the guy was always the one to make the first move. It was the traditional way.

So, what if Maya did decide to make the first move? Would it make things between her and Cam awkward? Would people talk, because the girl had asked the guy out? Because it wasn't the traditional way? She just couldn't shake the feeling that if she did make the first move, things would be completely wrong. It would turn out wrong, and then nothing between them would ever be right. Would ever feel right. Sure, it may have been silly, but it was just the way she felt.

Once she had entered her English classroom, (with just less than a minute to spare) she quickly took her usual seat next to Tori, still deep in thought.

"Morning Maya." Tori greeted her best friend with a small smile.

"Hey Tor." Maya returned. She then launched right into the discussion she had been wanting to have since she had woken up that morning, without so much as a moments hesitation. "So, remember how Cam came to my house like a week ago, and, well, feelings were revealed."

"Of course I do." Tori replied simply, as the teacher entered, and she pulled her English notebook out of her purse. "What I don't recall is you introducing him to me. At all." She added, in a slightly hurt tone, while flipping her notebook open to a fresh sheet of loose-leaf. "Even Katie got to meet him Maya. When's it my turn?" Tori questioned, her freshly glossed lips pulling off the perfect pout.

Oh god. How could Maya have forgotten about her best friend wanting to meet Cam?

She had been so focused on Cam, she had forgotten about Tori. She felt like a horrible best friend, and maybe she was one.

"Oh! Tor! I'm so, so sorry! I completely forgot! You can meet him today. At lunch! I'll invite him to sit with us." Maya promised quickly.

Tori's pouty expression disappeared instantly, a smile appearing in its place. "Awesome! Can't wait!" She exclaimed cheerfully, while simultaneously digging through her purse and pulling out a ballpoint pen.

"But, Tor?"

"Yeah?" Tori responded, writing the title of her English essay on the blank page in front of her.

"There was something I wanted to ask you… I need your advice." Maya admitted sheepishly. She hadn't even bothered to pull out her essay yet, but essays were the very least of her concerns at the moment.

"Oh! Well, what are you waiting for? Ask away!" Tori replied enthusiastically, putting her pen down and leaning in closer to Maya, as if she was about to reveal a big, juicy secret.

"Since that Sunday, last week, nothing's happened between us. I mean, we admitted our feelings that day, but since then… nothing." Maya began. "He's not asked me on a date, or to be his girlfriend. We've not hugged at all… or even kissed."

Tori looked directly at Maya, her dark eyes wide with complete and utter disbelief. "Nothing at all?" She exclaimed. The very thought of nothing happening between the two was a horrifying one. At least to her. Maya liked this boy, a lot. Tori knew it, Tristan knew it, heck, even Zig knew it, as much as it probably irritated him, as he had a huge crush on Maya, which bugged the hell out of Tori, but that wasn't the point right now. Her best friend needed her, and needed her advice, and Tori was going to give it.

"Nothing." Maya confirmed sadly. "What should I do Tor? I've been spending all of the free time that I do have with him, and nothings come of it!"

"Maya. Maya listen to me." Tori started. "You need to do something! Anything! Do you understand? You need to make the first move. It's essential. Remember, he's shy. He's probably waiting for you to do something, and if you don't do whatever that something is soon, you might miss your chance!" Tori exclaimed in a rush of words. "Is that what you want? To miss your chance? To be stuck in the friend zone forever?" She inquired, her tone of voice one of panic.

"No!" Maya replied nervously, looking around the room to ensure that none of their classmates were eavesdropping. "No, of course not!"

"Well then get on it girl!" Tori whispered, before picking up her pen once more and starting her essay.

"Okay, okay. I will." Maya replied, and she meant it.

Today was the day. She could feel it. Things were about to change, and for the better.

When the lunch bell finally tolled, Maya practically tripped over her desk as she raced to the classroom door. Having narrowly escaped a minor injury, she then exited the classroom.

She was extremely eager for this moment. She had been awaiting it all day. This was it. Things were about to change, and it was all going to begin with Cam meeting Tori.

Maya quickly sprinted to her locker, shoved her books inside, and then dashed to the cafeteria. It was here that she stumbled upon Cam, (which is exactly what she had anticipated) waiting in the seemingly never ending lunch line.

He was standing with the captain of the hockey team, Mike Dallas, chattering away, and was wearing his red and black ice hounds jacket, as always. Never without it.

Maya noted that he looked slightly worn out. He had probably had early morning practice again. It was a shame really, such beautiful chocolate brown eyes looking so tired.

"Hey Cam." Maya greeted, as she approached him, touching his arm lightly as she spoke, in the hopes of really capturing his attention.

"Oh, hey Maya. What's up?" Cam greeted casually, turning his back on Dallas, and giving his full attention to her.

Yes, the attention grabber had worked.

"There's someone I want you to meet." Maya replied, cutting right to the chase, a playful smirk upon her lips.

"Oh no! Maya, I already met Katie last Sunday. Please, please don't make me do that again. It was the most terrifying experience of my entire life." Cam replied teasingly, a smirk appearing upon his own face.

"Oh, very funny!" Maya retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you find that funny? I'm serious. I'm scarred." Cam joked, his signature smirk never fading.

"Oh, so you met the older Matlin sister did ya Saunders?" Mike Dallas cut in, stepping forward around Cam, and into view. "Thing's must be getting pretty serious."

"Serious?" Cam said. "No, not serious. There's nothing serious going on here. Definitely not serious. I wouldn't say serious." He replied defensively. His voice though appeared to be two octaves higher than usual, and his words seemed to exit his mouth just a smidge too quickly, implying otherwise.

This thought exited Maya. Perhaps Campbell was planning on making the first move after all. Perhaps even today, just as she was planning at that very moment. She would still introduce him to Tori, that much was for sure, but perhaps now she should just wait another day before making any first moves.

"Sure." Dallas replied sceptically, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Just make sure she's not cutting into our hockey time Saunders. NHL. That's the big picture here. Don't forget it." He warned, before picking up his lunch tray and exiting the line.

"What was that all about?" Maya question, gazing into Cam's beautiful, yet tired eyes intently.

"Meh. Just forget him. Dallas has been kind of moody lately. You know, because of stress, and pressure. The joys of being a part of a hockey team." Was Cam's nonchalant reply.

"Okay… Anyway, back to what I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted, there's someone that I would like you to meet. Come with me." Maya said, grabbing Cam's warm, soft hand and leading the way.

Cam laughed softly. "Doesn't even give me a chance to grab my lunch. Sheesh! I had early morning practice you know. I'm starving."

"Food can wait." Was Maya's reply.

"What are you trying to say? That I'm overweight?" Cam teased lightly as he continued to allow himself to be pulled along by Maya.

Maya burst out laughing, "that's funny. You're a funny guy."

"Well, I try."

The pair had finally reached Maya's usual lunch room table, which was occupied by none other than Tori, Tristan, and Zig.

Oh crap. Maya had totally forgotten about Zig. Zig. The guy that had a crush on her. The guy that her best friend Tori had a crush on. The guy that she used to have a crush on, but would never be interested in now. Well. This could turn out very interesting.

"Oh hey Maya!" Tori greeted excitedly. "Who's your friend?" She questioned instantly, shooting her best friend a quick wink when Cam looked down at his sneakers, his face turning a light shade of pink.

"Tori, this is Campbell Saunders. Cam, this is my best friend, Tori Santamaria." Maya introduced cheerfully.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." Cam said, managing to look up, a small smile upon his face. "But please, call me Cam. Everyone does." he added softly.

Tori nodded towards him in approval, a huge grin spreading across her own face in response. "It's nice to meet you Cam!"

He was too cute. She could definitely see why Maya was so into him.

Maya decided to do a quick sweep of the table, but as soon as her eyes landed on Zig, she regretted looking in his direction immediately. He was notably scowling, and glaring at Cam maliciously. With the intent to hurt… The intent to harm.

"Hi Cam." Tristan greeted now, with a little wave.

"Tristan." Cam replied politely with a nod.

Cam then looked expectantly at Maya, waiting for her to introduce him to the last of her friends, the last boy at the table. But to his surprise, she did nothing of the sort.

"Okay Cam. Did you wanna go find a free table?" Maya inquired, speaking rather quickly.

It almost seemed that she had spoken to quickly. They hadn't even been at the table with her friends for two minutes yet, and she seemed to be ignoring the dark haired boy. Something was definitely up.

"Actually, I'd like to go grab some food first. Before we sit. You know, it's the thing that make's lunch, lunch." Cam replied, grinning broadly.

"Oh, right. Well, I'll go find us a table, while you grab the grub?"

"Sure. Sounds great." Cam agreed, taking the hint that he was to leave now.

He had a feeling that Maya needed a moment with her friends, and a moment to possibly sort things out with the dark haired boy, that Maya had failed to introduce him to.

As he turned to leave, he shot a quick glance in that boys direction, and noticed something that he had failed to notice before. The boy was glaring at him darkly. Nothing but pure hatred in his stare.

No. How could that be possible? Cam didn't even know the boy. There was no reason for the boy to dislike him. Was there?


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Hey guys! Big thanks to Onedirection2013 , Guest , HopelesslyFictional , Nightrose20 , ncar08 , and msleahbeah3236 for your very kind reviews ! Every review means a lot, so thank you! (: So , who watched the first episode of Season 13 tonight? Can you say intense! I can't believe Clare has cancer... It's so sad! &Then there's Maya and Miles. The bad boy. Oh god. I can't even. Also I was surprised to hear Tori's family moved away, so she'll no longer be on the show. That really sucks, cuz I actually loved her character! Anyhow, here's chapter 18! I hope you'll all like it! There is a hell of a lot Camaya in this chapter, so I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it! Leave me a lil review and let me know what you think and if you like! Thanks guys! You're the best! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 18- Frustration/Making it Official.

Zig was unbelievably angry. His heart was pounding, and his blood was boiling in his very veins. So, that was Campbell Saunders. The boy that Maya and Tori had discussed countless times in gym class. The boy that Maya had gushed about day in and day out since school had started.

Zig didn't get it. He couldn't understand what was so great about this guy. He wasn't that good looking. Then again, maybe Zig wasn't the best judge of that. Considering he liked girls.

It was just frustrating was all. Couldn't Maya see that Zig liked her? Couldn't she see the way he would do anything for her? Why did she have to be so into Campbell Saunders?

Maybe she couldn't see. Maybe she was blind to love. Maybe Zig would have to talk to her. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it many times before. Pulling Maya Matlin to the side, expressing how he felt about her, and her expressing that she felt the same way.

Zig had dreamed day in and day out since the school year had begun about how this particular conversation would go. He had even tried to talk to her about it once before, on their walk home from school, but it hadn't been a good time then. She had been preoccupied with family stuff. Maybe now was the perfect time. Before her and Campbell got to friendly with one another. He just hoped it wasn't to late.

"So, what do you think Tor?" Maya questioned eagerly, a hopeful smile upon her face.

She was now using every ounce of her strength to avoid Zig's gaze. She wasn't sure how long she could do it for though. She could feel him staring at her and it was making her rather uncomfortable. She would have to make her exit quickly, before he had the chance to say anything to her.

Making her exit wouldn't be an issue though, she was confident about that. She had a valid excuse to leave quickly. For Cam had just made his exit to go grab some food, and Maya had said she was going to go and find the two a free table for lunch. She did however want Tori's opinion on Cam first, before she left.

"Oh my gosh! Maya! He's to cute!" Tori squealed, nodding her head in approval.

"I know! Isn't he?" Maya replied joyfully, a huge grin spreading across her face. "He's just so cute, and sweet, and funny, and… Oh I hope he asked me out!" Maya gushed hopefully.

"He seems great, even though he's super shy, and trust me, I believe you when you say he's all of those other things, because look at you! You're practically glowing just talking about him!" Tori responded cheerfully.

Maya beamed at her best friend, overwhelmed with feelings of happiness. She didn't think she had ever been this happy in her entire life. Forgetting about Zig, and the problems he might cause for the moment. She was overjoyed.

"But, remember what we talked about this morning Maya! If he doesn't-"

"I know Tor." Maya said, cutting Tori off before she could bring up any details of what was said between them that morning during English. It wasn't for the fact that she minded Tristan hearing, she really couldn't care less. She trusted Tristan, and the three of them could talk about anything together, especially boys. No, the reason that Maya had cut Tori off, was purely for the sake of Zig. She didn't need him knowing any details. "And trust me, I'm totally on it!"

"Great!" Tori exclaimed, beaming back at her best friend. She had a good feeling about this. Things were going to work out for Maya and Cam. She just knew it. Nothing, and no one was going to get in their way

"Anyway, I better go find us a table. I'll see you in French Tris?" Maya said, preparing to leave.

"Oui." Tristan replied sassily, with a small smirk.

"Awesome, and Tor, I'll see you in gym."

"Def." Tori replied, a huge grin upon her face.

This was it, Maya was about to make her escape, not a word had come from Zig's mouth, and Maya was hoping he would keep it that way as she turned away to leave their table. Of course, nothing ever works out the way you plan, or even the way you want it to, and once again, Maya was no exception to this rule.

"Um, Maya." Zig called out, just as she was about to make her exit.

Crap.

Maya very slowly turned back around to face him.

"Yeah?" She asked unwillingly.

"I was just wondering if we could maybe talk? Just you and me. After lunch?" Zig questioned.

As Maya really looked at him for the first time since lunch had began, she noted that the anger had faded from his green eyes, and that he now looked hopeful. This was not a good sign. If he looked hopeful, that meant he actually thought he stood a chance.

Perhaps she should just tell him right now, no. Just no. She had no reason to talk to him, and certainly not alone. There was nothing to be said, other than she didn't feel the same way, and that she wanted to be with Cam.

Plus, she had French class after lunch. There was no way she was going to skip that. It would only lead to huge conflict in the Matlin household, not to mention her mother nagging at her and comparing her to Katie. As always.

"Uh, I can't. I have French class after lunch. So…" Maya replied, feeling extremely awkward.

She couldn't help but notice that Tristan and Tori were still seated at the table, their heads and eyes roaming back and forth between Maya and Zig, watching the two intently, as though they were watching an intense Tennis match.

The expression that Tristan wore was one of slight confusion, but Tori`s was extremely different. The expression that she wore on her face at that moment was one of hurt, and Maya felt terrible for it. Another reason not to speak with Zig in private. Her relationship with her best friend was way more important. She never wanted to lose that.

Tori could not believe that Zig had actually asked to speak to Maya in private. Just the two of them! What was this coming to? Did he really want her that badly? Did he really think he was going to get her? Couldn't he see the amount of interest she had in Cam, and the lack of interest she had in him? It was so unbelievably frustrating! Could he not just take notice in her, Tori for a change?

Tori was not at all used to being ignored by the boys she showed interest in. This was an entirely new experience for her, and she had to say she wasn't enjoying it. At all.

"Well, I have math after lunch to. But, you know I was willing to skip it for a day to talk if you were…" Zig trailed off, seeing the expression on Maya's face. It was a stone cold one. One that said, 'It's not happening.' His heart sank.

"Look Zig, I told Cam I would find us a table. So, I've gotta go. I'll see you in gym okay." Maya replied quickly, before turning on her heel and zooming off in the opposite direction.

She hated the way she had to act towards him. She really did. Zig had always been an amazing friend, and a good person, but she just couldn't handle him when he was like this. She had to act this way, in the hopes that he would take the hint. For apparently the silent treatment and avoiding she had been doing in the week previous hadn't done the trick. She would now have to act bitter, and cold towards him. Whenever they came into contact with one another.

She would have to do this at the very least until he got over her, and understood that she would never reciprocate the feelings that he had. Maya would also have to talk to Tori later, after school. She knew how much Tori liked Zig, maybe she could do something about this whole situation.

The girls had talked about it once, a few weeks ago when Tori had come over to Maya's house for the afternoon. About Zig, and the FaceRange friend request, and everything in between. But perhaps if Tori did tell Zig how she felt about him, maybe he would realise that he felt the same way about Tori, and had just never realised it before.

This way, everyone would be happy.

It didn't take long for Maya to find an empty table, as the cafeteria was beginning to clear out. She hadn't even realised how much time had truly passed since the bell signalling the end of last class had announced lunch's arrival.

Maya took a seat and awaited Cam's arrival with their food. He arrived a few seconds later, balancing two trays filled with food in both of his hands, and setting each down on the table before taking his seat across from her.

"I wasn't exactly sure what you wanted, or what you liked, so I just put the same things as I got on your tray too. Hope that's okay." Cam said uncertainly.

"That's perfect. I'll eat anything." Maya replied with a smile, beginning by opening the small fruit cup placed on her tray.

"And apparently you eat your desserts first. Interesting." Cam observed, tying into his own meal.

"Yeah, I've been doing it ever since I saw that Robert Pattinson flick. 'Remember Me' You know, the girl always eats her dessert first, because you never know when you're gonna die. You could choke on your meal, and then miss out on the luxury of dessert. Now, wouldn't that be a shame?" Maya replied cheerfully.

"Wow, I never knew you were so complex Maya Matlin. There's a lot more to you than meets the eye." Cam laughed.

"Well Cam, there are a lot of things you don't know about me." Maya replied quietly, digging into her fruit cup.

Cam looked into Maya's beautiful ocean blue eyes, and saw something he had never seen there before. Hurt.

He wasn't sure if it was because of him, or if something else was bothering her, but either way, he needed to find out.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked softly, putting down his fork and really watching her expression.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Nothing at all. It's just… Cam we've barely spent any time together. Since last Sunday. We know nothing about each other." Maya responded, gazing deeply into his chocolate irises. "It's just frustrating for me! I want to know you, and I like you so much, but I'm getting nothing. We barely even talk." She finished sadly.

"Maya, I feel the exact same way about you. You must see how much I like you." Cam replied, gazing back into her eyes and reaching across the table to grab her hand. He intertwined their fingers as he spoke. "I want to know you better. I do. I want to spend time with you. I do. I want to go out to dinner, I even wanted to ask you to be my official girlfriend."

Maya's heart soared at these words. He wanted everything she wanted. He truly did. This was amazing news. But, it still didn't answer her question as to why he hadn't done any of these things yet.

"Then, why haven't you?" Maya inquired, stroking the top of his hand with her fingertips lightly.

Cam looked down at their intertwined fingers, and then back up to Maya's eyes. "Hockey. It's nothing but a nuisance! It's gets in the way. I have no free time. Hockey is like the air I breathe, and I hate it. I hate it!" He replied, clearly frustrated. "I want to do all these things, and I want to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I feel like if I did it would be unfair to you. Because as much as I hate hockey, I can't quit it. And Maya, you would always be coming in second to the sport, when you should be first. I can't do that to you." He finished, looking down at their hands once more.

Maya was touched. She had never expected that this would be the reason for all of these things not happening. She was totally caught off guard. She had been thinking that it was because he was to shy, but this wasn't the reason at all. Campbell Saunders was a complete sweet heart, and she loved it.

"Cam, maybe I wouldn't mind coming in second to hockey. As long as I could be yours." Maya replied softly, slightly embarrassed to be saying these words out loud, but they had to be said. He had to know just how much she wanted to be his. Just how strongly she felt about him.

Cam's eyes shot up, back to hers. Had he really just heard her correctly? "Maya, I couldn't do that to you. You would be my girlfriend. You would deserve to come first. What kind of a boyfriend would I be…" he trailed off.

"It's okay Cam. I know you hate hockey, and I know you can't quit, and I know you would put me first if you could. And that's all that matters." Maya replied, gazing deeply into those big brown eyes of his.

The cafeteria was completely empty now, with the exception of the lunch lady, which meant that the bell signalling class was to ring at any moment.

"Maya, I can't even express how happy you've just made me." Cam replied softly, a grin spreading across his face. "Maya Matlin, will you go out with me?"

"Yes, of course I will." Maya replied joyfully. "Who in there right mind wouldn't?" She added, standing up from the table.

"A lot of people." Was Cam's reply. "Rejection is something I'm experienced in. Really, I'm not that special." He added, as he stood up as well.

"Well, you are to me." Maya responded, gazing deeply into those soft chocolate brown irises once more.

As soon as she had spoken these words, Cam's face lit up like a Christmas tree. It felt good to be wanted. To be special to someone, and he couldn't help but smile in response. "We'd better get to French, the bell is gonna ring any minute." He finally said.

"Right, let's go." Maya agreed.

So off they went, to French class, hand in hand.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N Hey guys! Big thanks to Nightrose20 , Onedirection2013 , msleahbeah3236 , HopelesslyFictional , and ncar08 for your very kind reviews! They mean a lot to me, and I love to hear that you're all enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! This has literally become my favorite story to write, and I just keep adding on the chapters! You all can look forward to many more updates in the future weeks! Now, this chapter right here is all about Zig and Tori. How he feels, how she feels, how he's feeling since Maya refused to speak with him, and how Tori feels about it all, etc. It's not as long as the last one, but I'm hoping you enjoy it just as much. Also, Zig cries, a lot. It made me feel a little sorry for his character while writing this chapter, but don't worry, in chapters to come, if you do end up feeling sorry for him now, you'll feel much less sorry for him later. But I don't wanna give to much away! So, enough of my chatter. Here's chapter 19, and if you've read this entire A/N, you're a champ! Enjoy! (: xx**

Chapter 19 Zig + Tori = ?

Zig was heartbroken. It felt as though his heart had just been shattered by a hammer into a tiny million pieces, and no one would ever be able to collect all of the pieces again, let alone repair it.

There was probably one person in this world who could repair it however. Maya. But she wouldn't do it. She wasn't even willing to give him the chance to speak to her, and it was completely and utterly unfair.

There was no way he was going to math class now. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on anything except how much his heart was aching inside his chest.

Instead he sat in an empty hallway, the hallway that contained her locker. He sat right across from it, wallowing in sadness. Hot tears sliding down his pale cheeks. Damn it. He hadn't wanted to cry, but he couldn't help it. He reached up and with his sweater sleeve he quickly wiped the tears away.

It was then that Tori suddenly appeared at the end of the long hallway, and it was apparent that she was heading in his direction. Zig quickly double checked to make sure all traces of the tears were gone before she approached him.

"Zig? What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in math?" Tori questioned, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"I'm not going." Zig mumbled.

"Why not?" Tori inquired.

"Because." Was Zig's non helpful reply.

There was something wrong. That much was obvious. He looked so sad. His eyes were red rimmed, and that very fact told Tori that he had been crying.

It was because of Maya. Because Maya had refused to speak with him, Tori knew it. And although she was glad Maya had refused his invitation to talk, she couldn't bare to see Zig sad. She cared about him a lot. Maybe to much, and far more than he knew. When he was hurting, she was hurting.

"It's because Maya refused to talk to you, isn't it." Tori stated.

Zig looked up at her standing over him. "How did you know that?" He asked, shocked. Was it that obvious that he was sad because of her? Was he that obvious?

"Well, it's sort of obvious. The way you asked her to talk. The way you look at her. Even the way you act around her, ever since the beginning of the year. You're upset now because she refused to talk to you. Because you like her." Tori replied, taking a seat next to him on the cold hard floor.

Zig nodded his head, confirming that she was right.

She knew she had been, and maybe if he talked about it, vented to someone, he would feel better. They had always been close friends, way before Tori had even developed these feelings for him, and she wanted to help, to make him hurt a little bit less.

"If you wanna talk about it, I'm here." Tori said.

"I just like her so much Tori." Zig started, "I've liked her since the beginning of this year, and apparently it's been obvious. I can't stand seeing her with that other guy. What does he have that I don't? Why won't Maya just give me a chance? A chance to talk to her, a chance to prove that I would be better for her than that jock. Why won't she give me a chance Tori? All I want is a chance." Zig finished, his voice cracking on the last word. Damn. He was crying again, and Tori was sitting right next to him. This was embarrassing.

He looked down, and wiped away the tears furiously, trying to hide this fact, but they just kept coming. Just kept spilling out of his eyes, and falling down his cheeks, and he couldn't keep up with them. Furthermore, he didn't want to anymore. His attempts were futile. He quit trying to wipe them away, and just let them fall now.

Tori looked at Zig, her heart positively breaking. Partially because he was crying, and partially because of who he was crying for. Maya Matlin, her best friend.

"Zig? Zig look at me." Tori said, reaching over and grabbing his hand.

Zig looked up at her, surprised that she had grabbed his hand, but he didn't mind really. It was comforting. The tears were still streaming down his face.

"Look at yourself. You're crying. You're crying over Maya Matlin. Maybe it's just not meant to be between you and Maya." Tori began. "Plus, you know, you've only liked her since the beginning of the year... We're still only three weeks into September... I know it seems like an eternity, but it hasn't been. You still have a good chance of getting over her." She added.

Zig made a funny noise, one that many of us make when we're crying fairly hard and trying to keep it in, so we don't look or sound like idiots.

"I know, I know it hurts Zig! I know it does. But you're spending all of your time waiting for her to come to you, probably fantasising about the day she comes running to you, and falls into your open waiting arms, but the harsh truth is, that's probably not going to happen. She's so into Cam. You need to quit wasting all of your time on someone that's only making you miserable, and go find someone… Someone that wants to be with you, and that's only gonna make you smile. Not cry." Tori said, gazing directly into his bright green tear filled eyes.

"It hurts Tor. It hurts so much." Zig replied, the tears still falling.

Oh! He looked so unbelievably sad. Tori couldn't stand it. It made her want to cry. Again, partially because he was crying, and partially for who he was crying for. She was sitting right here, right in front of him, holding his hand, trying to comfort him. She was doing what Maya never would, and he couldn't see it.

"Zig, please stop crying." Tori pleaded softly.

"I'm trying, I really am. I just can't." Zig replied sadly, looking down, and raising his free hand to his eyes to wipe away the tears once more.

"Please. I can't stand seeing you cry." Tori whispered, now raising her own free hand, and gently wiping the tears away for him.

Zig was genuinely shocked by how caring Tori was being. She was talking to him, comforting him, and now even wiping away his tears for him. He had never seen this gentle side of her before. He looked up into her dark eyes as she did this, and found pain of her own there.

He was seeing her in a completely new light, for the first time in his life. The first time since he'd met her.

He really drank in every detail of her at this moment. Her perfectly smooth complexion, her pretty dark eyes, her long curly brown hair, her perfectly shaped eyebrows, her nose, and lastly her perfectly shaped lips, covered in a fresh coat of gloss.

"Tor, why do you look so sad?" Zig finally asked her, as she moved her hand away from his face.

"Because you're sad." Tori replied simply. "I can't stand to see you sad Zig. I can't stand to see you crying over Maya. She's my best friend, but you are too."

Zig nodded in understanding, the tears had finally stopped flowing as frequently, but there were still a few falling every now and again.

"Can I tell you something?" Tori asked, deciding to take her shot at this. To at least make an attempt at telling Zig Novak how she really felt about him.

"Sure." Zig replied, nodding once more.

"I care about you Zig. A lot, and I don't think you have any idea just how much." Tori confessed, gazing into his green eyes intently.

Zig was caught of guard by this revelation. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I like you Zig. A lot, and you have no idea how much it hurts me to see you crying over Maya, when I'm sitting here, directly in front of you, wanting you, and wanting you to want me, and it just sucks!" Tori explained, squeezing his hand that was still placed in hers.

Oops. She hadn't quite meant for it all to come out so quickly, and in that way... She hoped he didn't find her weird now.. or awkward.. or whatever.

Tori liked him? Tori. Tori Santamaria, liked him, Zig Novak? His mind just wasn't processing it. It didn't fit. It made no sense. A girl like Tori liking a guy like him. How could this be true? More importantly, how had he not noticed?

"Tori, I had no idea… I…" Zig tried, but there were no words. How had he failed to notice this?

Then he knew. He was so love struck by Tori's best friend, Maya, that he had been blind to the signals Tori must have been sending him. Because Zig had been friends with Tori for awhile now, and he knew that when she liked a guy she always sent signals. Always.

"I know you didn't. But now I've told you. It's okay, you don't have to say a word about it. I just wanted to put it out there. I wanted you to know how I felt, even if you don't feel the same way." Tori replied softly, still gazing into his eyes.

Zig gazed back at her. She was actually so beautiful. How had he failed to notice that? She was the pinnacle of beauty, and she wanted him. Tori wanted him, and maybe… maybe he wanted her.

Zig very slowly, and very carefully moved in. His face gradually becoming closer and closer to hers.

Tori's heart began to race in her chest. What was he doing? He had just been crying to her about Maya, and now he was leaning in? But she wanted it to happen. She had been dreaming of this moment for weeks. What would it be like to kiss Zig Novak? Well, she was about to find out.

She didn't move an inch, allowing him to come all the way towards her, and then, he gently pressed his lips against hers.

Fireworks exploded before Tori's very eyes. She was on cloud nine, and she never wanted to come down. She never wanted this moment to end. She deepened their kiss, craving more. Craving the taste of his lips, having wanted this moment for so long.

There was suddenly a loud noise, one that sounded like the clearing of the throat, and Tori and Zig broke apart from each other quickly, jumping at the sound in the silent hallway, and looking in the direction that the noise had come from.

"Sorry to interrupt, but uh, this is a school hallway, not a kissing booth." Katie Matlin stated, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips, and her blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry Katie!" Tori apologised quickly as she let go of Zig's hand and stood up, dusting off her jeans.

"It's alright Tori." Katie laughed. "Because you're my sisters best friend, I'll let it slide."

Tori gave Katie a grateful smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't you two have a class to be in?" Katie questioned curiously.

"Yeah. No yeah we do. I was just taking a quick bathroom break." Tori answered.

"Mhm. That's what it looked like to me." Katie teased. "Now, get back to class, before I call on the principal."

"Okay. I'll see you in gym Zig." Tori said, before turning on her heel and departing.

Zig watched her leave. Then looked back to where Maya's sister had been standing, but found that she was already gone.

He had just kissed Tori.

The two had shared a kiss, but he still wasn't sure how he felt about her. Did he like her? He had spent so much of his time liking Maya that he wasn't sure how he felt. Or if he could even ever like another person the way he liked her. He was still heartbroken, and damaged emotionally, and maybe him and Tori weren't such a good idea, at least, not at the moment.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N Hey guys! Once again I must apologize for the lack of update on this story! No matter how long it takes I will complete this story one day haha, and I will be trying to keep the updates much more consistent from now on! I'm glad this story has been such a hit so far, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it! Big thank you's to ncar08 , msleahbeah3236 , HopelesslyFictional , Nightrose20 , Rojjy , Blueprint , and DanseChick for all of your kind reviews on chapter 19! I'm glad you all liked it :p . Okay, this chapter gets pretty intense, and dramatic. But, can you expect anything less from Degrassi? I don't think so! Please remember to leave me a review and let me know if you like and what you think! Thanks so much guys! You are seriously all the best, you always stick with this story no matter how long it takes for me to provide an update, so I thank you thank you thank you! Here's chapter 20! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.** _

Chapter 20- Misery

French class had passed extremely quickly. It was a complete surprise to Maya when she glanced up at the clock at the front of the room and discovered it was nearly over. Their usual teacher, Madame Obere wasn't at school that day, so they had had a substitute.

It was an easy class, for the sub hadn't even bothered to introduce herself. (It was obvious she didn't care for children, so why she was subbing was beyond Maya… perhaps she had owed the principal a favour.) The classroom was full of chatter, and Maya, Cam, and Tristan had made their own little circle, chatting away about their classes, their teachers, and the rest of the students.

Maya had to admit, she was thoroughly enjoying herself. When she had awoken this morning, she had not anticipated that the day would turn out this great. It had started of rainy, cold, and uncertain. Plus it was a Monday, and who in the history of Mondays had ever had a good day on a Monday?

Well, Maya could honestly say that this had been an amazing Monday so far, and if she could just manage to avoid Zig during last period, which was gym class, then everything would be perfect.

One second, the trio was enjoying themselves, discussing boys that Tristan had been interested in so far this year. Though Cam couldn't find much to say on this subject, he nodded and smiled along, and let Maya handle all of the talking. The next second however, Tori was standing before them.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Maya, Maya I have something to tell you! Oh my gosh!" Tori exclaimed breathlessly, clutching at a stitch in her chest.

"Tor? What are you doing here?" Maya inquired, looking up at her best friend, very confused indeed.

"I was on my way back to class, but I just had to make a detour and come tell you what happened! I just had to!" Tori said, her breathing now nearly back to normal.

She sure recuperated quick.

"What's the deal Tor? Spill it!" Tristan butted in, resting his chin on his hand and leaning forward slightly.

Gossip and drama was just a ritual at Degrassi Community school, and the niners had quickly learned that you couldn't go a day without it.

Cam was watching Tori as well, curious about what had happened, though he hadn't said a word.

"Me… and Zig… just kissed!" Tori announced excitedly.

Tristan gasped, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.

"What!" Maya exclaimed, jumping up out of her seat. "Are you serious?" Maya questioned, grinning from ear to ear. "If you're joking I will beat you." Maya added threateningly, her grin disappearing.

"I am totally serious! I've never been so serious in my life. Oh my gosh Maya, it was magical!" Tori replied.

"Oh my gosh!" Maya squealed, hugging her best friend. "That's great Tor! How did it happen? Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you? Details!" She insisted at once.

Tori laughed loudly. "He made the first move. He leaned in, and I let him do all the work. I didn't move an inch until our lips met. Oh, and when they met! I saw fireworks Maya. Fireworks!" She explained enthusiastically.

This was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Maya had seriously doubted that this day could get any better, but apparently it could, and it had.

If Zig and Tori had kissed, and Zig had initiated it, then that had to mean that he was over her. Now, Maya wasn't exactly sure how one would get over another so incredibly quickly, but as long as he was in fact over her, the truth was, she couldn't care less.

Everything was going to work out, and everyone was going to be happy.

The bell tolled then, signalling the end of class, and everyone stood, making their way to the door.

"That is so amazing Tor! I'm so happy for you!" Maya exclaimed as they exited the room. "And, I have some amazing news too." Maya admitted grinning.

"Spill it! Now!" Tori ordered.

"Well," Maya began, glancing over to see Cam still walking faithfully beside her. "Cam asked me out." She finished, grabbing Cam's hand for emphasis.

"Oh my gosh! You mean, it's official? He asked you to be his girlfriend?" Tori practically shrieked.

"I did." Cam said shyly, finally getting in on the conversation.

"OH MY GOSH! That's so amazing! Congrats you guys!" Tori congratulated, positively beaming.

Maya's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Thanks Tor." She laughed.

"Anyway, Cam, do you have hockey practice after school today?" Maya questioned curiously, turning her attention back to Cam for the moment.

"No, but I do have a game. Hence the early morning practice. It starts right after school, you're free to come watch, if you want to." Cam said, looking into her eyes hopefully.

"Definitely. I'll be there." Maya told him happily.

"Cool." Cam replied, grinning broadly.

"I wouldn't miss it, and don't worry, I'll drag Tori and Tristan along too. You'll be able to hear us cheering you on from a mile away." Maya added.

"Oh, def! We really get into sporting events around here." Tori inputted.

The three of them had reached the gymnasium now, at it was time for Tori and Maya to go their separate way from Cam.

"Great! I'll see you all after school then." Cam said cheerfully, before giving Maya a quick hug and departing.

Tori and Maya entered the gym and made a beeline for the changing room. There was no one else in there, as the girls very rarely changed for gym class now a days.

"Okay Tor. I need details! How did the kiss even happen? Where did you see him? What were you talking about?" Maya listed, ticking off the things she needed to know on her fingers.

"Well, to be honest Maya, we were talking about you." Tori admitted slowly.

"Oh, what about me?" Maya inquired, confusion setting in yet again.

"I don't want to make you feel bad or anything, that's the last thing I wanna do. But, he was crying in the hallway right after lunch."

"He was crying?" Maya repeated, her heart that had been so light with happiness mere moments ago sinking slightly.

"Yeah, he was bawling his eyes out. It was actually super sad… he was crying because you refused to talk to him. He was upset because you wouldn't give him a chance, and because of Cam. He told me a lot of things. He really, really likes you Maya." Tori replied seriously.

Maya was very confused now, very confused indeed. "Well, if he likes me so much then why did he kiss you?" She asked suspiciously.

"I told him everything. I told him how much I liked him, how I felt and have been feeling, and then… we just kissed."

Maya felt slightly better after hearing this. He wasn't over her, but he had kissed Tori after hearing how she felt about him, and that was a good sign. It was a start at the very least.

"Wow. Did he mention anything about how he feels about you?" Maya questioned, quickly changing into her gym shorts.

"No, but he didn't really get the chance to. Your sister sort of interrupted us." Tori replied.

Maya froze. "What do you mean?"

"She caught us kissing in the hallway, and broke us up." Tori explained with an eye roll.

"Of course. Count on Katie to tear people apart." Maya muttered. "Well, how do you think he feels about you?" She asked in a normal tone.

"I'm not really sure. But he kissed me, that's gotta be a good sign right?"

Maya nodded her head enthusiastically. "Definitely."

"I think I'll ask him now. We can always go out in the hall and talk. Right?" Tori said, pulling her curly dark brown hair up into a cute ponytail.

"That sounds like a good idea." Maya agreed, pulling her own hair up.

"Okay. Wish me luck" Tori said, taking a deep breath and exiting the change room.

Tori spotted Zig instantaneously, and made her way over to him.

"Hey." She greeted cheerfully.

"Hey." Zig replied, avoiding her gaze.

"Can we talk?" Tori questioned seriously.

"Uh, I don't think that's a very good idea Tori." Zig replied, still avoiding her gaze.

"Why not?" Tori asked, feeling hurt. Why wasn't he looking at her? They had just kissed hadn't they? She wasn't imagining things, was she? She was suddenly very uncertain about everything.

"Because we're in class." Zig answered coolly.

"We could go sit out in the hall." Tori tried once more. "Just for a few minutes? Please?"

Zig sighed. "Fine, lets go." He agreed, getting up and leading the way.

When they got out into the hallway, Tori initiated the conversation.

"So, about the kiss…"

"Look, Tor. I'm sorry. I was vulnerable, I was sad, and let's be honest, you're a gorgeous girl. The kiss didn't mean anything to me. I know you have feelings for me, and I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about that. I don't feel the same way about you. I like Maya." Zig said seriously, gazing directly into Tori's eyes.

It was as though Tori had just been stabbed in the chest. She inhaled sharply. She couldn't breathe properly. Was this really happening? She had been so happy… She had truly thought Zig might share the same feelings as she did.

"How could it not have meant anything to you! I saw fireworks, and felt sparks Zig! How could you not have felt a damn thing?" Tori cried, feeling extremely hurt and confused.

"There was nothing there for me. It was a kiss, I was hurting, like I said I was vulnerable. That's all there is to it." Zig replied coldly.

"Well let me tell you something Zig! Maya doesn't like you! She's dating Campbell! Maya will never ever like you! But if you want to keep waiting around on someone who's only gonna make you miserable, and will never ever feel the same way about you then go ahead! Just don't expect me to be there for you ever again. I will not be a shoulder to cry on Zig! I will not be used when you're feeling sad! If you don't want me, then fine. Our friendship is done." Tori shrieked, her loud voice echoing in the halls.

"Tor, calm down! I never said I didn't want to be friends." Zig replied sharply.

"Well, I did." Tori retorted. "Because I can't live like this. I can't be just your friend when I want so much more Zig. I can't keep pretending." She finished shrilly, before turning away and re entering the gym.

She made a beeline for the change room once more, where Maya was still doing her hair.

"Hey! How'd it go?" Maya inquired, looking over at her best friend. She was completely shocked to find Tori in tears. "Oh, Tor. What happened?"

But Tori couldn't talk. She was crying to hard. Everything she had ever wanted had been so close, and just like that, her best friend had snatched it out of her fingertips, without even trying. Maya had done absolutely nothing to encourage Zig to keep feeling that way about her, but he still wanted her instead of Tori, and even after they had shared a kiss, that apparently would never change.

At that moment, she hated her best friend. She truly hated her. It was because of Maya that Zig didn't want her. This was all Maya's fault.

"It's your fault!" Tori finally managed to choke out through her tears. "It's all your fault that Zig doesn't want me! He's still hooked on you, even after I told him you were dating Cam, even after I told him you would never like him, he still wants you instead of me. The kiss meant nothing to him Maya! Nothing!"

"Tori, I'm so, so sorry." Maya replied sympathetically. "If I could make him stop liking me you know I would."

"I was so close to having him to call mine, and you took it away from me without even trying! I hate you!" Tori cried miserably.

Maya's eyes widened. "You don't mean that!" She said, taken aback by Tori's words.

"Yes I do! I hate you Maya Matlin!"

"Tor, you're just angry, and upset. You don't really mean that. Once you calm down-"

"Don't you dare tell me what I am Maya!" Tori screamed. "From this moment on we are no longer best friends."

"Tor please!" Maya pleaded, reaching out to her best friend.

But Tori had already fled the change room, leaving Maya to herself.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Hey guys! Big thank you's to ncar08 , Rojjy , DanseChick , Guest , Onedirection2013 , msleahbeah3236 , and HopelesslyFictional for all of your kind reviews ! Reviews honestly mean the world to me! So please keep 'em coming and thanks so much again for sticking with this story! This is chapter 21, and there are still plenty of chapters to come! This one has quite a bit of drama again, and a dash of Camaya cuteness, so I really hope you all enjoy reading this, cuz I had a blast writing it! Alright, i'll quit blabbering now. Thanks again! xx**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any of the characters.**_

Chapter 21- The Confrontation

Tears stung Maya's eyes as she raced through the halls of Degassi Community school. How could Tori say those things to her? Did she honestly think that Maya wanted Zig to like her? Did she think all of this made Maya happy? It didn't. Zig didn't make Maya happy. Zig made Maya uncomfortable. They had been such good friends, but it was apparent that they couldn't be anymore. Zig only made things worse. Because of him Tori now hated her.

Who Maya needed right now more than anyone was Cam, and this was who she was running through the halls, searching desperately for. She couldn't recall what class he had at the moment, so she would just have to search them all. Of course, she could have just sent him a text and asked where he was, but she was upset, and when you're upset sometimes your mind doesn't work quite the same.

Eventually, she found his classroom. He had math last period, and there he was, sitting in the back of the room. It seemed to be his favourite spot. Maya didn't even bother knocking, she just flung the door open and raced straight to Cam. The tears that had merely been stinging her eyes a few moments before were actually falling now.

"Maya?" Cam said, confused. "What are you doing here?" She stood before him, her cheeks tear streaked and her breathing uneven.

"I-I-" Maya tried, but she couldn't get the words out. Just thinking about the whole situation and everything that had just happened between her and Tori made her want to cry and scream, and all of the above. All things that she couldn't do in a classroom at school.

"Here, let's go outside." He suggested, getting up from his seat and grabbing her hand. "Mr. Marlon, may I please be excused?" Cam asked politely.

Mr. Marlon took one look at Maya, and nodded instantly.

Cam walked Maya into the hall and closed his classroom door behind him, it was then that Maya flung her arms around Cam's neck and burst into tears.

Cam wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Maya, please tell me what's wrong. What happened? You were so happy when I walked you to gym."

Maya pulled away for a moment to look into his eyes. "It's Tori. She just blew up on me in the change room. Screaming and crying, she had a complete meltdown." She explained between sobs.

Cam's eyebrows knitted together in complete confusion. "Why would she do that? You guys are best friends, why would she be so angry with you?"

Maya took a deep breath. She supposed it was time to tell Cam about Zig. They had only started dating today, but that didn't matter. They had liked each other for much longer than that, (if you could describe approximately two weeks as much longer) and Cam deserved to know. "It's because of a boy."

Cam's confused expression remained. "What do you mean?"

"This afternoon, in the cafeteria when I introduced you to Tori, do you remember a boy sitting at the table with her?" Maya questioned, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"Yeah… He had dark brown hair?" Cam asked, just to confirm that they were talking about the same guy.

"Yes, that's the one." Maya verified.

"He's the only person you didn't introduce me to." Cam stated, the confused expression never wavering.

"No, and for good reason." Maya mumbled.

"Why didn't you introduce me to him Maya?"

Maya said nothing, she just looked down at the ground. She wanted to tell Cam, wanted to tell him everything, but it was hard. What if he got jealous, just like Tori had? What if he got mad at her because she couldn't control the way another boy felt about her?

"Maya?" Cam prompted curiously.

"Because… because he likes me Cam." Maya confessed, looking up into his eyes.

Cam's confused expression disappeared instantly. "He likes you. That would explain the looks he was giving me."

"What looks?" Maya questioned now, her turn to be confused.

"He was looking at me like he despised me. Like he hated me with a fiery passion, and I couldn't understand why. I don't even know him. But now I know. It was jealousy." Cam explained seriously.

Cam looked slightly peeved, and Maya felt the need to explain how she felt about Zig, before he got to angry with her.

"I don't like him Cam, I swear!" Maya responded quickly, "I have no feelings for him whatsoever! I like you Campbell Saunders, and only you!"

"Maya, Maya calm down! I believe you. I don't think you like that guy. No worries." Cam replied softly, grabbing her hands.

"Well, at least someone believes me." Maya said sadly.

Cam's confused expression reappeared.

"He's the reason Tori's mad at me. Tori likes him, and they kissed today." Maya began.

"Wait, he's Zig?" Cam asked, the confused expression disappearing once more.

"Yes, and in gym class Tori went to talk to him, about the kiss, and what it meant… I'm guessing it didn't go well. Because she came back into the change room crying her eyes out, and then she blamed him not liking her on me. Tori ended our friendship because of this! Apparently it's all my fault, but it's not like I want to be with Zig! I've never encouraged him! Ever since I found out he liked me at the beginning of the year all I've done is avoid him Cam! I've never wanted to be with him, he must know that! I'm with you now!" Maya vented, tears stinging her eyes once more.

Cam looked at Maya sympathetically. He now understood why she hadn't introduced him to Zig at lunch, he now understood why he had received such dirty looks, and he now understood why Maya was so upset. How could Tori do this to her? It was obvious it wasn't Maya's fault that Zig didn't feel the same way about Tori. Cam believed with every ounce of his being that Maya spoke the truth, and that she hadn't done anything to encourage this Zig's feelings for her.

"Maya, it'll be okay. Just stay away from Zig, and give Tori time to cool off. She's just angry and upset because she was rejected. She'll get over it, and realise it has nothing to do with you. It's just him." Cam reassured soothingly.

"I hope so. She's my best friend Cam. How am I supposed to survive my first year of high school without her?" Maya asked miserably.

"You won't have to, at least not the entire year. Like I said she'll realise it has nothing to do with you soon enough." Cam replied. "Actually, it has everything to do with him. Zig sounds like a player Maya. I mean, he kissed her and let her believe that he actually had feelings for her too, that there might be something between them when he knew there wasn't." He added.

"I know!" Maya exclaimed. "I hate guys like that!"

Cam chucked softly. "Don't we all?"

This comment made Maya smile. "Thanks for listening Cam. I was actually really scared to tell you that Zig liked me."

"Why?" Cam inquired.

"Because, I was afraid you would react like Tori, and get mad at me, even though it's not my fault." Maya explained, sniffling and wiping her eyes once more.

"Never." Cam answered simply, wrapping his arms around her once more.

Maya hugged him back, content in his arms, but knowing he had to return to math, and that she should be returning to gym class.

She pulled away from him unwillingly. "I should be getting back to class. I'll see you at your hockey game tonight."

"You're still gonna come? You know, you could just go home, relax. It's been a rough end of the day for you." Cam replied softly. "I would understand."

"Doesn't matter. I wouldn't miss your game for the world." Maya replied with a small smile.

"Alright, I'll see you after school." Cam said with a grin, before giving her another quick hug and re-entering his math classroom.

Maya slowly sauntered through the halls again, making her way back to the gymnasium. The sadness that she had felt as soon as Tori had ended their friendship had disappeared since speaking with Cam. He was right, Tori would realise once she calmed down that it wasn't Maya's fault, and they would be friends again one day, in the meantime, she would just have to wait.

The sadness had disappeared, but in it's place, anger had developed. Not anger towards Tori, but rather, anger towards Zig.

Zig was the reason her and Tori were no longer best friends for the moment, and it was all because he had played Tori that day. Messed with her feelings, just as Cam had said, and made her think that he liked her by kissing her. It made Maya sick. Zig made her sick.

Maya was going to go back to the gym, and give Zig Novak a piece of her mind. Since he couldn't seem to realise she had no feelings for him whatsoever on his own, she would have to tell him. She was going to be straight up about it, and she was going to tell him what a jerk he was for playing with her best friends heart.

Maya re-entered the gymnasium, and spotted Zig instantly on the opposite side. She stalked towards him, ready to scream. She didn't care who was around, and she didn't care if she embarrassed him. She only cared about getting her message across, that she didn't like him, and never would.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Maya yelled, getting right up in Zig's face. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO TORI? HOW COULD YOU KISS HER, AND MAKE HER THINK YOU LIKED HER, AND THEN JUST TOSS HER ASIDE LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH, IN THE HOPES THAT I WOULD COME TO YOU? IN THE HOPES THAT I WOULD COME TO YOU AND TELL YOU I LIKED YOU? THAT I WANTED TO BE WITH YOU? WELL I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU ZIG! I DON'T LIKE YOU, AND I NEVER WILL LIKE YOU, OKAY? YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON IN THIS WORLD THAT I WOULD EVER HAVE FEELINGS FOR, AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOU'RE A JERK! YOU'RE A JERK WHO PLAYED WITH MY BEST FRIENDS EMOTIONS, AND NOW SHE THINKS IT'S ALL MY FAULT! THAT IT'S BECAUSE OF ME THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE WITH HER!" Maya screamed, not holding anything back, letting it all out.

"But Maya, it is because of you that I don't want to be with her. Because I like you, and I know you like me too. You just never realised it before because you didn't give me the chance to tell you how I felt. You do like me Maya Matlin, I can tell by the way you look at me." Zig replied coolly.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ZIG, I DON'T LIKE YOU, AND I NEVER WILL! CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR BIG FAT HEAD? I LIKE CAMPBELL! CAMPBELL! ME AND CAM ARE DATING NOW. DATING! SOMETHING THAT ME AND YOU WILL NEVER DO ZIG!"

Zig's face fell instantly. "You are dating him? Tori told me that, but I didn't believe it. I didn't want to. I thought she was just saying that so I would go for her instead of you."

Maya stared at Zig, a look of utter disbelief and anger upon her face. "NO SHE WASN'T LYING! WHY WOULD SHE? SHE TRULY CARES ABOUT YOU ZIG. SO QUIT WASTING YOUR TIME ON ME. BECAUSE I WILL NEVER RETURN THE FEELINGS YOU HAVE FOR ME."

Zig couldn't believe what he was hearing. All of the words that had come out of Maya's mouth cut him like a thousand knives. He felt like he wanted to curl up in a ball and cry again. He was hurting, but he wouldn't let it show. He wouldn't.

"Fine." Zig replied flatly. "I guess I will go for Tori then. Give her a chance."

Maya laughed maliciously, but she had calmed herself down just a smidge now, having gotten everything else off of her chest. She was calm enough not to scream, but to just speak with extreme force. "You know what Zig? Don't even bother. Stay away from her. Because Tori Santamaria will not be your second choice. She isn't anyone's second choice."

"Well, if she likes me so much, I'm sure she would be happy to be my second choice. Don't you?" Zig replied haughtily.

Maya looked into his green eyes, trying to determine what he was feeling, if he was just saying these things because he was angry or hurt, or even if he was being serious, but they revealed nothing. There was no emotion there. They were dead, as was his facial expression. "You're a jerk Zig Novak. Stay away from me." Maya told him quietly.

With that, she spun around and stalked off in the opposite direction, exiting the gym just as the bell tolled, signalling the end of class.


End file.
